Polling stations opened on Sunday at 8:00 am (0600 GMT) for voters to cast their ballots and decide the balance of power in the eastern German states of Thuringia and Saxony. The state parliamentary elections, which each hold considerable power over regional matters, could reverberate nationwide. Polling stations in both states are open until 6:00 pm. The main focus is on how well the far-right Alternative for Germany AfD, which could become the strongest party in a state election for the first time, performs. The three parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s squabbling and unpopular national coal…