The program carried out by Siegmund in Saxony was written by an ideologue who, for now, has remained out of the spotlight. This is Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, deputy in the Land of Saxony since 2016 who relativizes the German guilt of National Socialism and proposes the normalization of that era, as well as maintaining a Russophile position in foreign policy and strong opposition to Western institutions. He is the one who built the program of over 300 points and 17 thematic blocks, accompanied by graphics created with artificial intelligence.
The party also wants to ban rainbow flags in schools, introduce the display of the German flag and the singing of the national anthem and eliminate regional funding for the "Schools against racism" project. Looking at a broader time horizon, AfD promises to reduce the space dedicated to Nazism in history programs to focus on other moments of the German past, such as the Empire founded in 1871. Finally, the program envisages the expansion of Russian teaching and the resumption of school exchanges with Russia, suspended from 2022.
Then in the program there is the workhorse of "remigration": the AfD would like to abolish the right to asylum by transforming it into a right of pardon granted by the State, increase "the number of repatriation flights" and establish a task force dedicated to expulsions. The party then promises that its regional government would refuse to welcome people who entered Germany illegally through a safe third country, would like to move against churches that offer refuge to irregular migrants and force asylum seekers to carry out community work, under penalty of losing their benefits.
The program also explains that for the AfD the heart of society is the traditional family made up of father, mother and "as many children as possible". There is also clear opposition to sexual education for children, in line with the criticisms that the party has always leveled against gender transitions linked, in its opinion, to the "trans-lobby": "In kindergarten, the family made up of a man and a woman must be taken for granted as a normal form of coexistence and sexual duality must be respected as a biological fact", we read in the program.
Siegmund would also aim to terminate the state contract with the broadcaster Mdr and abolish the radio and television license fee. "It is with such shamelessness that they try to manipulate us!", says the caption of one of the videos he published on social media, in which he accuses public channels of disinformation for political purposes. The AfD intends to replace the MDR with a "basic radio and television service" financed by taxes or advertising, with significantly reduced programming.
In Saxony, one of the poorest Laender in today's Germany which is located in the former DDR where salaries and pensions are lower than in the West, the identikit of the AfD voter is that of a young man, with a low level of education and a difficult economic situation. The 41% obtained by the party among people aged between 18 and 24 demonstrates the popularity of the ultra-right party among the youngest: many of them were won over by the techno music of its events, the videos made with artificial intelligence and the use of social media - above all TikTok - which distinguishes the AfD from its opponents. The AfD also obtained 52% in the 45-59 age group, and with the mantra of remigration it convinced those disappointed by the black-red coalition government led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, under accusation for too slow reforms and ineffective communication. According to data from the Infratest Dimap institute, among those with a low level of education the AfD reaches 57%, while it stands at 65% among voters with a difficult financial situation. But perhaps the most interesting data comes from those who had not gone to the polls in the last elections: in this area - writes Bild - 157 thousand voters chose the AfD. Among the reasons why the electorate opted for the ultra-right, internal security stands out above all, at 24%, followed by immigration (18%).
However, the figure of Ulrich Siegmund also contributed to the success of the AfD in Saxony: a "right-wing Robin Hood" for his people, a "perfume seller" and an extremist for his opponents. Der Spiegel called him "the most dangerous man in Germany" and he enjoyed signing the cover of the weekly magazine for fans. Very skilled in communication, Ticktocker with 660 thousand followers, first of all pushed the pride of the East, riding the resentment of the people who remained in the former social republic where the economic miracle was rarely seen. Married with two children, 35 years old, a degree from an online university in business administration and economic psychology, a thesis on perfume marketing, founder of a company specializing in perfuming systems and room fragrances, Siegmund promised "to the people that he will give them back the Land - explained the Leipzig author Jana Hansel to Ansa - Siegmund comes from Saxony-Anhalt, he speaks like the people of Saxony-Anhalt, he is a bit more attractive than the people in Saxony-Anhalt and this causes an incredible phenomenon of identification they see as a right-wing Robin Hood".
