AfD’s Ulrich Siegmund eyes east German state power

Ulrich Siegmund is campaigning to make the far-right Alternative for Germany the governing party of an eastern German state for the first time.

Siegmund, 35, is the AfD candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, where the party leads polls ahead of the September 6 election. The AfD is polling nearly 20 points ahead of the centre-right Christian Democrats and has what the source material describes as a realistic chance of an outright majority in the state parliament.

On the campaign trail, Siegmund has used vintage East German Simson motor scooters as a symbol of regional identity. At a recent event near Jessnitz, he led a convoy of several hundred motorcyclists and told supporters the Simson was “a symbol of freedom”.

Descendants of the Jewish founders whose name became the Simson brand have denounced the AfD's appropriation of it. The family gave up the company to escape persecution in Nazi Germany.

Siegmund has focused on immigration and resentment in the former East Germany, where many residents say they have been treated as second-class citizens since reunification. He described “uncontrolled immigration” as one of Germany's biggest problems and vowed to make life difficult for criminals and people he said wanted to take advantage of the country.