Saxony's State Premier and top candidate of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party for regional elections in Saxony Michael Kretschmer casts his ballot for Saxony's regional elections as his wife Annett Hofmann looks on at a polling station in Dresden, eastern Germany, on September 1, 2024. Voters in two former East German states - Saxony and Thuringia - go to the polls. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)