AfD wins state election in Saxony-Anhalt, but government formation remains unclear

Four weeks ago today, the AfD won the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt - with 43.8 percent of the votes, the party, which the state's Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified as definitely right-wing extremist, is by far the strongest force. But they missed the absolute majority. It has received 39 seats and would need three more MPs from other factions to govern.

But how is this supposed to happen? The CDU, SPD, Greens and Left rule out any explorations with the AfD. Only the BSW negotiates with the AfD about common content. A coalition with the AfD excludes the federal leadership around Amira Mohamed Ali.

What happens next? We will probably be able to see how the parties sort themselves out next Tuesday, when the new state parliament meets in Magdeburg for its constituent session to elect a president. The BSW wants to co-elect AfD candidate Tobias Rausch as state parliament president.

In December, AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund wants to be elected as the new Prime Minister. In his own words, the 35-year-old assumes that he will be elected with a “significant majority” in the first round. However, how Siegmund comes into office remains unclear. All other factions deny that they want to elect Siegmund.

Will the CDU further distance itself?

Saxony-Anhalt's incumbent Prime Minister Sven Schulze has also confirmed that the AfD cannot rely on votes from the CDU in the election. "Nobody will switch from the CDU to the AfD in any way. The AfD doesn't have to hope for that either. We see ourselves as an opposition party," he said in the report from Berlin. All CDU MPs have confirmed this several times, both verbally and in writing.

With a view to ongoing talks between the AfD and BSW about forming a government, Schulze, who is also the parliamentary group leader, said that the CDU was not aiming to "work directly with these two parties and say that we want to get involved somewhere."

Schulze announced a “constructive opposition”. From his point of view, that would not mean cooperation with the AfD. "It's not about us striving for cooperation in any form. Cooperation would mean, for example, that we agree on laws. [...] We don't plan to do that, but we will evaluate the topics that are then discussed in the state parliament as the CDU."

The CDU has borne responsibility as a government party for 24 years, but is now in the opposition. “This hurts us overall, but we will accept this role.”