CDU Saarland elects Stephan Toscani as the top candidate for the 2027 state election

The CDU in Saarland has elected party leader Stephan Toscani as the top candidate for the state elections on April 18, 2027. At a state representative meeting in Eppelborn, 91.3 percent voted for the 59-year-old, who has led the Saar CDU since May 2022. Toscani received 303 yes votes out of 333 votes cast. Three representatives abstained.

In a combative speech before his election, Toscani claimed leadership of a future state government in the Saar. “We want to win this state election,” said the lawyer. “We want to take back the State Chancellery. And we want to lead a government that gives this country direction, speed and trust again." Saarland deserves more than standstill and regression.

The CDU Saar wants to move Saarland forward again. “And that’s why we’re going into this election campaign with confidence. We know what we can do. We want to be number one again,” said Toscani.

After its defeat in the state elections in March 2022, the CDU Saar found itself in opposition again for the first time in 23 years. Since then, Saarland has been governed by a sole SPD government with Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger (SPD).

Economy and work in focus

According to Toscani, a very central issue for the Saar CDU in the election campaign will be: a strong economy and jobs. In football, Saarland made it into the Bundesliga with the promotion of SV Elversberg. “Let us fight together to ensure that we become a rising country again in terms of the economy and jobs,” said Toscani.

The SPD bears responsibility for the problems that appear in people's everyday lives: “For unemployment and bankruptcies, for major failures in education. We will name this responsibility of the SPD,” said Toscani. “But we won’t just criticize. Above all, we will say how we can do it better.”

In the state elections on March 27, 2022, the SPD won an absolute majority with 43.5 percent of the votes. In the current state parliament, the SPD has 29 of 51 members. The CDU has 19 seats, the AfD 3.

The CDU Saar state list includes 24 candidates. General Secretary Frank Wagner was elected second and Melanie Franke was elected third.

For fourth place there was a candidacy: The Junge Union (JU) had proposed Charlotte Warken-Luxenburger against Björn Leidinger (CDA), who was nominated for this place by the state executive board. Leidinger won: He got 172 votes, Warken-Luxenburger 147 votes.

“The JU stands united behind the CDU Saar and Stephan Toscani,” said Warken-Luxemburger after the vote. She was nominated for number 5 on the list.

Other parties have state lists

The election campaign begins with the compilation of the state lists. Several parties have already drawn up their lists: The AfD is heading into the election campaign with party leader Carsten Becker at the top, while the Left elected its chairman Florian Spaniol in first place on the state list.

The Greens are entering the state election with a duo at the top: Anne Lahoda and Volker Morbe. The SPD does not want to draw up its state list until January 2027. It was said that they wanted to concentrate on government work beforehand.