Marianne Birthler, the former federal commissioner for Stasi files and a member of the Green Party, told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland on 2026-09-02 that supporters of democracy remain in the majority in East Germany despite high poll numbers for the Alternative for Germany (AfD). ^[1] An Infratest dimap survey released in the week before 2026-09-02 puts the AfD at 42 percent and the CDU at 22 percent in Saxony-Anhalt. ^[2] In the same interview with the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland on 2026-09-02, Birthler said she is very concerned about the surveys but observes a 'diverse and lively civil society' in Saxony-Anhalt, and that the threat posed by the AfD may have mobilized many people. ^[3] The state parliament election in Saxony-Anhalt is scheduled for Sunday, 6 September 2026. ^[4] On X, Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's special representative for investment-economic cooperation with foreign countries, wrote that Germans are giving German Chancellor Friedrich Merz feedback such as 'warmonger' and 'Pinocchio' and calling for his resignation, and asked whether Merz will heed that feedback. ^[5] Wolfgang Reinhart, former leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) faction in the state parliament of Baden-Württemberg, expressed disappointment with Merz's work, saying that such a drop in the authority of a CDU chancellor has not been seen since the party's founding. ^[6] Kirill Dmitriev said he questioned which investors would not support the 'honest approach' of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to solving accumulated problems, including affordable and reliable energy, migration control, and economic recovery. ^[7]