Ulrich Sigmund could become the first-ever premier of a German state from the party "Alternative for Germany" (AfD). The 35-year-old politician has become a political sensation, but what lies behind his eloquent rhetoric and smiling image?
Siegmund, who is the leading candidate for the far-right AfD party in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, has become a political sensation on the eve of the hotly contested elections on September 6 and has been dubbed "the most dangerous man in the country", BTA writes, citing DPA.
While many German politicians are the target of anger and insults during the election campaign, Siegmund has been drawing ever-larger crowds this summer as his anti-immigrant party has seen its support rise to over 40% in opinion polls.
Although the AfD structure in Saxony-Anhalt was rated "confirmed" far-right movement, the party has a strong chance of securing an unprecedented absolute majority in the local parliament in Magdeburg, which would allow it to bypass the "firewall" of the main parties.
This would make Sigmund the youngest premier of a German state in history and the first from the far right since World War II.
Wherever the 35-year-old politician goes, the lines are long, and his supporters patiently wait to have their picture taken with him. Videos from his campaign events are specially prepared for social media and show Sigmund radiating positivity, creating a sense of community and greeting his supporters with hugs or a few kind words.
"Together we will take our country back", is his message. Specific policies are rarely on his agenda. When pressed, he keeps his smile and avoids answering.
The label "most dangerous man in Germany", given to him by the influential magazine "Spiegel" on the cover of its August issue, has already become a source of pride for his supporters.
Born in 1990, the year of German reunification, Sigmund did not follow the traditional path for politicians in his education.
As a teenager, he earned money as a waiter and construction worker before starting an internship as an export salesman.
After earning a bachelor's degree in business psychology and business administration from a distance learning university in Hamburg, Sigmund later founded a business selling room fresheners and perfumes.
A member of the conservative Christian Democrats in his youth, he quickly switched to the AfD and entered the state parliament in 2016.
His public popularity rose significantly during the coronavirus pandemic, when his social media videos criticizing the lockdown measures quarantine, gaining him hundreds of thousands of followers.
Then in 2022 he became co-chair of the AfD parliamentary group in Magdeburg and in May 2025 was elected as the leading candidate for the upcoming elections with over 98% support from his party colleagues.
Sigmund first came into the spotlight after it became clear that he had attended a scandalous meeting in Potsdam in November 2023, at which Martin Sellner, former leader of the far-right "Identity Movement", spoke about the so-called "remigration" - the forced resettlement of immigrants.
The Saxony-Anhalt state parliament subsequently removed Sigmund from the post of chairman of the social affairs committee.
He was also involved in a nepotism scandal that broke out earlier this year. According to media reports, his father received more than 7,500 euros a month as a parliamentary assistant to a party colleague. He is one of a number of prominent AfD politicians whose relatives were employed at the taxpayer's expense.
Sigmund tried to deflect the ensuing criticism by saying that the party could only rely on people it trusted. The scandal did not seem to have made much of an impression on voters.
Sigmund and his wife Julia live with their young daughter in the small town of Tangermünde, located on the banks of the Elbe River. In his free time, he goes to the gym. Another of his hobbies is metal-detecting.
During the election campaign, Sigmund often presented himself as more moderate than the party's controversial election program, although he did not distance himself from his radical colleagues.
At information stands in market squares and in public dialogues, he creates the impression that only "common sense" is needed to understand that the current situation in Germany on issues such as migration, energy policy or public media is deeply worrying.
There is no doubt that the AfD is capitalizing on public disillusionment with traditional parties at a time when the new surge in inflation linked to the war in Iran is only adding to the anxieties.
Studies show that Sigmund, who is adept at using social media, has been able to capitalize on the discontent. And now, unexpectedly, power is within his grasp.