Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) sees a government mandate for the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt. During his speech at the folk festival in Gillamoos, he said: “The AfD has been given a task there, let’s wait and see what they do with it.” He gives the other parties some advice: "Don't try by hook or by crook to somehow organize a half-vote majority using all tricks and possibilities. They should show whether they can govern, I have doubts about that."
Democracy must be taken seriously. “Even if you don’t like it,” says Söder. At the same time, he is sending a declaration of war to the AfD in Bavaria. Söder emphasizes: "With the AfD, Ms. Storch and many other strange birds who are there are currently intoxicated, sometimes even drunk, by their election results. But I promise you one thing: I will not leave Bavaria to the AfD, under no circumstances."
Söder also referred to a specific AfD quote: The AfD state chairman in Saxony-Anhalt, Martin Reichardt, recently said: “This state is a lazy ass stinking of dope.” Söder attributed the statement to the AfD youth and said: "Anyone who talks like that about their country should not have any power in Germany. Under no circumstances."
Sunday’s result was “not an election for Saxony-Anhalt”. Above all, it is an “anti-election”. “The biggest possible reminder that there has been in the last 50 years. Also towards Berlin,” he explains. The AfD now needs to be substantiated. He says: “I am firmly convinced that the AfD has no concept of leading our country out of crises. And in the end the country is worse off than ever before.”
After the AfD election victory in Saxony-Anhalt, the chairman of the Conference of Interior Ministers is calling for the security authorities to be protected against extremist influence. “State power and thus control over security authorities in the hands of an anti-constitutional party with close contacts to Russia is a serious security risk,” said Hamburg’s Interior Senator Andy Grote (SPD) to the RND. “As Interior Minister, it is our responsibility to protect the common security authority structures in Germany against extremist influence of all kinds,” added the Social Democrat. “As a conference of interior ministers, we must now live up to this responsibility.”
Munich Cardinal Reinhard Marx calls for action for human dignity after the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt. “This election result for a right-wing extremist party is terrible and depressing - but it is not the last word!” said the Archbishop of Munich and Freising to the newspapers “Münchner Merkur” and “tz”. The cardinal added: "It is important that the vast majority in our country now openly and actively stand up for freedom, democracy and the rule of law. It is up to us to fight for human dignity, respect and tolerance, to speak out loudly and audibly, and to resist when our convictions are threatened."
According to industry associations, after the election in Saxony-Anhalt, many companies are concerned about the AfD's possible participation in government. The trade association and the association of mechanical engineers explained that the shortage of skilled workers due to a possible lack of labor migration is a particular concern for the economy. The Federal Association of Renewable Energies also sees the success of the energy transition at risk.
“I fear great damage to Germany as a business location if potential skilled workers from abroad now shy away from coming to us,” explained Alexander von Preen, President of the German Trade Association (HDE). The retail sector is dependent on immigration to cover its staffing needs. “We need skilled workers from home and abroad and benefit from a united Europe,” explained the managing director of the TÜV association, Joachim Bühler.
After the election, the workers' wing of the SPD is calling for a change of course in the federal government's reform policy. “The dismantling of the welfare state and poorly implemented reforms at the expense of employees are destroying trust in politics and helping the AfD,” said Cansel Kiziltepe, head of the SPD AfA working group, to the dpa news agency. “Chancellor Merz has failed miserably with his previous course.” She added: “That’s why a change of course is now urgently needed when it comes to pensions, health and working time reform.”
“An intact family consisting of mother, father and children is proven to be the best prerequisite for good and healthy child development” - a journalist asked Siegmund about this quote from the AfD government program and referred to the lifestyle of AfD leader Alice Weidel, who lives with her partner and adopted children. Siegmund denied an inner contradiction. It's about establishing what is “optimal” for children. There are also children in homes, but it is better to grow up in a family. “But we are a party of freedom, with us everyone can develop freely,” added Siegmund. Weidel jumped in with Siegmund: “This is about the social goal,” she said. Everyone has their freedoms, but the question is: “What is the goal of supporting the state?” Its task is to “always support where children are”.
AfD election winner Siegmund wants to enforce his “basic positions” for a state government. For him, the condition for cooperation with individual parliamentary groups or individual MPs is that they can agree on “the fundamental questions of our time”. There is no need to agree on the obligation to castrate cats. But on “migration, internal security, energy policy” and the “necessary termination of the media state treaty”. That's what he was elected for. The termination of state broadcasting contracts is the top priority of the AfD's 100-day program. The MDR state treaty, which regulates the joint broadcasting of Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia, would be of particular importance for Saxony-Anhalt.
WELT editor Frederik Schindler asked AfD top candidate Ulrich Siegmund about the plan to organize possible defectors from the CDU. During the election campaign, Siegmund rejected reports of such plans. “This plan was not pushed during the election campaign,” he reiterated, but admitted: “Of course this is a scenario where we knew that could happen.” Now it's time to organize a majority. What is crucial for him is: “Who are these people?” If there are individual actors who are willing to “implement our basic positions,” we are ready to extend our hand. “I want us as AfD and me as Ulrich Siegmund to remain true to ourselves.” Siegmund emphasized that he had received a donation from a local CDU politician during the election campaign. He also now said that he had “signed on a CDU membership card from a CDU local mayor from the Börde”.
AfD leader Alice Weidel once again sharply criticizes the federal government's financial and economic policy. Germany has “exploding debts” and is burdening itself with additional burdens. As examples, she cites energy policy, what she sees as a government apparatus that is too large, and spending on social systems. “The civil service state cannot be financed.” Weidel warns that the development cannot be financed in the long term and points to the “implicit national debt”.
Ulrich Siegmund is asked what he says about the warnings from economic institutes about an AfD government in Saxony-Anhalt. “The entrepreneurs chose us,” he emphasizes. “Elon Musk has also commented specifically on this, which means there is also great international interest.” He therefore sees an AfD government as a long-term competitive advantage. “The future is right-wing conservative.” The economic problems, such as high energy prices, would have to be solved at the federal level.
The President of the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research Halle (IWH), Reint Gropp, had expected economic growth in Saxony-Anhalt to be 0.5 to 1 percentage point lower per year due to a “xenophobic policy”, mainly due to falling immigration and increasing problems in recruiting skilled workers. The IWH also sees a financing gap of at least 2.2 billion euros annually between the AfD election promises and their counter-financing.
