After his party's election victory in Saxony-Anhalt, AfD top candidate Ulrich Siegmund wants to seek a majority among the other factions and individual members of the new state parliament. “Of course I will stand as candidate for prime minister in Saxony-Anhalt if it becomes apparent that I have secured a stable majority,” he says. "That is not at all foreseeable today. That's why our aim now is to organize precisely this stable majority in the next few days and weeks."
“Clear government mandate”
The AfD's result is a "very clear government mandate - it could hardly be clearer," said Siegmund. In order to get a governing majority in the newly elected state parliament, he will hold talks with "individual factions or individual representatives who want to tackle this historic task together with us." To do this, he would “of course first want to shake hands with every actor in the state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt.” Corresponding discussions are already being initiated today.
Few compromises
At the same time, Siegmund made it clear that his willingness to compromise when forming a government has narrow limits. The search for a majority should take place under the condition that core positions, such as migration and internal security, are “implemented 100 percent,” he said. “I want to stay true to our values, to our content.” He differentiated the AfD from the CDU, which he accused of "softening all positions" in order to participate in government.
“The plan was clearly a sole government”
The search for a majority is not a contradiction to his announcements before the election that he only wanted to govern alone, said Siegmund when asked. "The plan was clearly a sole government." In the upcoming talks we have to look at: “Who are these people, can we do it in such a way that we remain politically true to our values.” It could also be the case that there will be voices at the BSW who want a change. But he doesn't want to play games, so you can't rely on that later.
Siegmund had previously told MDR that the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt would “use all opportunities to fulfill this government mandate.” “We are now working on how this will happen in the next few days.” He therefore considers the option of getting the necessary votes “in a fixed agreement, for example with one or another MP” to be conceivable.
BSW signals support
The other parties in the state parliament had ruled out a coalition with the AfD before the election. However, the BSW, which was narrowly elected to the state parliament, confirmed its willingness to help Siegmund into office. If he stands for election, then the BSW will continue to abstain from a third round of voting in the state parliament, said BSW top candidate Thomas Schulze on Deutschlandfunk. His party got 5.3 percent in the state election. In the third round of voting, a simple majority in the Magdeburg state parliament is enough to elect a new prime minister.
The BSW has always said “that we will not take part in firewall politics,” said Schulze. They want to talk to all parties. You don't have to accuse the BSW of being a "stirrup holder", it's the other parties, said Schulze. "I see the AfD as a party that was elected by 44 percent of the people here. And I have to take that into account. For me, that is democracy." There are overlaps with the AfD, for example, in the demand to lift the sanctions against Russia.
Chrupalla: “Absolutely historic result”
At the joint press conference, the AfD federal chairmen Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla assured Siegmund of the federal executive board's support in forming a government. Weidel spoke of a “dream result” in Saxony-Anhalt, Chrupalla of an “absolutely historic result”.
Weidel said: "We take the government mandate seriously - not only in Saxony-Anhalt, but in all other federal states and especially in the upcoming federal elections, in which we will emerge by far as the strongest force with a very clear government mandate." Their stated goal is to expand the gap between the AfD and the Union at the federal level "in the shortest possible time and to grow it to at least 40 percent for the next federal election."
Chrupalla emphasized more than Siegmund that forming a government in Magdeburg would require his party to make compromises. "We know that this government formation will be difficult, we know that compromises may be necessary here," he said. “We will hold all discussions about this and also call on all parties to talk.”
