Conservatives ahead of far-right by a whisker in German state of Saxony - exit poll

BERLIN, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Germany's opposition conservatives were slightly ahead of the far-right in an election in the eastern state of Saxony on Sunday, half a percentage point ahead of the Alternative for Germany, according to an exit poll by broadcaster ZDF.

The Christian Democrats (CDU), who have governed Saxony since reunification more than 30 years ago, appeared set to secure 32% of the vote compared to 32.1% in 2019.

But the AfD were hot on their heels on 31.5% in the ZDF exit poll, up from 27.5% in 2019, with populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) in third place on 11.5%. An exit poll by rival broadcaster ARD gave the conservatives a slightly larger lead.

(Reporting by Thomas Escritt and Riham Alkousaa)

((thomas.escritt@thomsonreuters.com; +49 30 2201 33579; @tomescritt;))