Conservative state leader in Saxony optimistic about re-election

As voters go to the polls on Sunday, the eastern German state of Saxony's incumbent conservative premier, Michael Kretschmer, is convinced that he will lead the next state government.

Kretschmer from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, said: "It has to be the Saxon Union. We are here in Saxony, we will not be meddled with. We are going our own Saxon way," he said after voting in the state capital Dresden in the morning.

The Social Democratic Party (SPD) candidate, Petra Köpping, was less confident, saying she has a "queasy feeling. Now the voters have to decide." The SPD, the party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, had a good coalition on the state level with Kretschmer's CDU, Köpping, who is minister for social affairs.

"I simply hope that there will be a stable coalition again."

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) candidate, Jörg Urban, did not say in advance when he planned to vote.

Polling stations in Saxony have been open since 8 am (0600 GMT) and the 3.3 million eligible voters have until 6 pm to cast their ballot to elect the state parliament for the next five years.

The regional elections being held on Sunday in Saxony and also in Thuringia could shift the political landscape across the country ahead of the next nationwide parliamentary elections in September 2025.

Populist forces led by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) have been showing strong support in the polls.

Both states were once part of the former communist East Germany, where voting patterns remain distinct more than three decades after reunification.