Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- Police investigate after suspicious object found near Dormagen electricity substation
- Saxony-Anhalt parties launch final campaign push ahead of Sunday vote
- Volkswagen to shed 100,000 jobs by 2030
Welcome to our roundup of news and analysis from Germanyon Friday, September 4.
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Skip next section Parties in Saxony-Anhalt hold final campaign events ahead of Sunday’s polls09/04/2026September 4, 2026
Parties in Saxony-Anhalt hold final campaign events ahead of Sunday’s polls
The eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt goes to the polls on Sunday, and several parties are holding closing rallies on Friday to drum up support among undecided voters.
According to a survey by polling group “Forschungsgruppe Wahlen” cited by DPA news agency, 31% of respondents are still undecided.
Polls are showing the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the lead as it aims for an a absolute majority that would allow it to lead a state government in Germany for the first time.
The AfD’s lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund and national party chairman Tino Chrupalla are due at a campaign event in the state capital, Magdeburg.
Sven Schulze, currently state premierand lead candidate for the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), also has engagements in Magdeburg planned for Friday.
The Left Party’s lead candidate Eva von Angern is appearing in Magdeburg, and the city of Halle, alongside leading party figures Heidi Reichinnek, Gregor Gysi and Dietmar Bartsch.
The Greens are planning events in Halle and Naumburg, with lead candidate Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz joined by federal party chairman Felix Banaszak.
Saxony-Anhalt’s current coalition government, comprising the CDU, center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), is set to lose its majority, according to polls.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5L5npSkip next section ‘Suspicious objects’ found near substation in Lower Saxony: reports09/04/2026September 4, 2026
‘Suspicious objects’ found near substation in Lower Saxony: reports
In the northwestern region of Lower Saxony, police are investigating “suspicious objects” found in the pre-dawn hours Friday morning at a power substation near the small town of Ganderkesee outside of Bremen, the Bild tabloid reported.
“A discovery was made that required a police investigation,” a police spokeswoman was quoted by the newspaper as saying. A helicopter had been called in to illuminate the area from above.
No further details were immediately available.
https://p.dw.com/p/5L2itSkip next section Police suspect another sabotage attempt near Dormagen substation09/04/2026September 4, 2026
Police suspect another sabotage attempt near Dormagen substation
Police in western Germany say a suspicious device found at an electricity substation in the small city of Dormagen between Cologne and Düsseldorf was likely intended to “cause damage.”
“Someone apparently tried to deliberately cause a short circuit,” a Cologne police spokesperson told AFP news agency.
The object was discovered late Thursday by a passer-by. A police spokesperson said it may have been a “suspicious launching device.”
The Bild tabloid reported that homemade rockets with launching devices, including timers and cooper wires, were discovered. Police have not confirmed the report.
The new discovery Friday is the latest this week in what police say are attempts at damaging critical infrastructure.
The first incident on Tuesday near the Jänschwalde coal power plant in the eastern state of Brandenburg involved homemade projectiles resembling New Year’s Eve fireworks that can short out high-voltage power lines by shooting a grounding wire over them.
A day later, similar objects were found near a power station in Bergheim, in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5L2enSkip next section Welcome to our coverage09/04/2026September 4, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Wesley Rahn | Natalie Muller Editor
Guten morgen from the DW newsroom in Bonn.
A number of suspicious devices have been found near German power infrastructure this week, with a third incident overnight in Dormagen being treated by police as a likely sabotage attempt.
No significant damage has been reported in any of the cases and police have not revealed any suspects.
Meanwhile, parties in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt are holding their final campaign events ahead of a state election on Sunday that could see the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) come out on top.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest developments on these stories and more.
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