State election in Saxony-Anhalt: AfD top candidate Siegmund relativizes his claim to government

The election of Saxony-Anhalt is not only of interest to Germany. The BBC (Great Britain) writes about the AfD: "A clear victory would be the first time since the Second World War that a right-wing extremist party has held power at the state level. This represents a serious source of danger for the AfD's opponents." And further: “This is an election that could change German history.” Chancellor Friedrich Merz describes the BBC as “stricken”.

AfD leading candidate Ulrich Siegmund had announced several times that he would only govern in Saxony-Anhalt with an absolute majority - now he is leaving an election for Prime Minister open even with an absolute majority and emphasizes that he needs a “stable majority”. When asked whether he would aim for the Prime Minister's Office with a one-vote majority in the state parliament, Siegmund told the "Bild" newspaper (Saturday): "We will decide that on Monday. Let's see how it turns out."

Siegmund emphasized that he was interested in a “stable majority” in the state parliament. "What do I do if one or two or three MPs are in the hospital? Should I then carry them on a stretcher into the state parliament to vote?" Siegmund told the "Bild" newspaper. It should not be the case that the country’s “progress is paralyzed” “because one or two MPs are absent due to health reasons,” added the AfD top candidate.

Siegmund had previously emphasized several times that he only wanted to govern with an absolute majority. He justified this position on ZDF by saying that he wanted to implement everything he had announced. “I can’t do that with anyone else at the moment,” he said. He accused the other parties: “Others have put up the firewalls.” The AfD has “recognized the realities” and says: “If no one wants to do it with us, we just have to do it alone.”

The CDU in Saarland has elected its state chairman Stephan Toscani as the top candidate for the state elections next April. According to party information, the 59-year-old received 91.3 percent of the vote at a state representative meeting in Eppelborn on Friday evening. Toscani has been the CDU state and parliamentary group leader in Saarland since 2022. He is the opposition leader in the state parliament.

Shortly before the Saxony-Anhalt state elections, a civil society alliance projected a slogan on the facade of the Magdeburg Cathedral and the state parliament. It read there on Friday evening: "We won't give up what we love. True love for our homeland is not the AfD." More buildings are to follow on Saturday.

According to a spokeswoman, this is the conclusion of the “True homeland love is” campaign by the “More than divides us” association, which claims to be non-partisan, independent and funded by donations. In addition to actors such as Sandra Hülser and Christian Friedel, the supporters include people from civil society, business and science.

The head of the German Economic Institute (IW), Michael Hüther, has warned of a “ruinous” immigration policy and its consequences for the state if the AfD were to win the election in Saxony-Anhalt. “Given its demographics, Germany is dependent on qualified immigration from abroad,” said Hüther to the “Rheinische Post” (Saturday). “Anyone who wants to compete for foreign skilled workers must not support a party that openly calls for their expulsion,” he added.

"For Saxony-Anhalt itself, an immigration policy according to the AfD's ideas would be ruinous. Because of the unfavorable demographics, according to our forecasts, without immigration, the working population in Saxony-Anhalt will decline by around a quarter by 2045. For every employable person in Saxony-Anhalt, there would then be more than one person who is not working," said Hüther, emphasizing that this would "drive the country to the wall economically."

“An AfD government in Saxony-Anhalt would be a stress test for liberal democracy and would test its resilience,” explained the IW boss. According to surveys by the institute, “six out of ten East German entrepreneurs” see democracy at risk.

“Many people currently no longer recognize what the SPD stands for and what concrete difference social democratic politics makes in their lives.” In the most recent survey by Infratest dimap, the SPD got 13 percent. She has governed nationwide with the Union since 2025.

"In terms of content, the SPD doesn't have to completely reinvent itself. But it has to say what it stands for more clearly, concretely and credibly," said Woidke. “Our strength is bringing together social justice and economic strength.”

In the state elections on Sunday in Saxony-Anhalt, major election research institutes do not expect any surprises like five years ago, when the AfD finished weaker than in the polls and the CDU significantly stronger than expected. "We do not expect such a large mobilization effect in the last few days as in 2021. Back then, (Prime Minister Reiner) Haseloff's CDU was able to rally the AfD opponents behind them. This time the AfD opponents are divided more widely among different parties," said the head of the elections research group, Matthias Jung, to the German Press Agency. His colleagues from Infratest-dimap and Insa made similar comments.

Before the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Paderborn Archbishop Udo Markus Bentz is in favor of exposing right-wing populists in a concrete and objective manner. When dealing with the AfD, the church must take people's concerns seriously. Although the issue of migration was declared to be the main issue by the party, it was not the main problem for the people in Saxony-Anhalt. The Catholic Bentz speaks of perceived realities.

Saxony-Anhalt has a problem with aging, there are economic problems, a lack of medical care and an education problem. “Ten percent of school leavers do not have a secondary school qualification,” said the archbishop. “These are real problems that need to be addressed.” However, he is convinced that right-wing populists do not offer any solutions to these problems. He referred to what he considered to be empty election posters.

CSU leader Markus Söder continues to favor a woman for the office of head of state, thereby increasing the pressure on the CDU and Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "For over a year there was intensive discussion in the Union - initially in the CDU - and also in the SPD about the fact that it had to be a woman. This debate did not come from the CSU. Now, shortly before the end, to say that a woman might not be suitable for the office of Federal President is extremely problematic in my opinion," said the Bavarian Prime Minister of the "Rheinische Post".

The CSU leader emphasized: "The decision will be made together. But it is clear to me that the fundamental decision to nominate a woman should no longer be changed at short notice. What kind of signal would that be?"

Söder once again mentioned the President of the Bavarian State Parliament, Ilse Aigner (CSU), as a possible candidate: “If Ilse Aigner is interested, she would certainly be an excellent candidate.” However, these are not processes that can be carried out on an open market. "The central question is: How do we respond to the accusation from radical forces that Berlin and the establishment are out of touch and no longer have any connection to the people? Ilse Aigner could help reduce this area of ​​tension with her closeness to the citizens and the people." It was “very gratifying that there were also many positive reactions to her from the SPD and the CDU”.

Entertainer Hape Kerkeling used his Golden Hen award to recommend voting for the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt. “If you cast your vote on Sunday, then you are also voting for the MDR, the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, and its radio waves,” said the 61-year-old in his acceptance speech on Friday evening. It is a veiled election recommendation against the AfD: The party has announced that it will terminate the state broadcasting contracts in the event of a sole government.