What was true before the election also applies after the election: the CDU, SPD, Greens and Left continue to reject cooperation with the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt. Representatives of the four parties have rejected offers to talk about forming a government. A few days after the election, it is still unclear what will happen politically in the federal state with 2.1 million inhabitants. If there are no defectors from other factions, the AfD could probably only hope for the BSW as a temporary partner. The BSW wants to discuss the AfD's offer of talks.
“It is absurd to assume that we will hold talks with the right-wing extremist AfD about the future of our country,” said Green Party lead candidate Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz of the German Press Agency. It initially remained unclear whether the Greens would formally respond to the AfD's letter.
SPD: There are fundamental differences
The Social Democrats also turned down the invitation. “There are fundamental political and normative differences between the SPD and the AfD,” replied the two state chairmen Juliane Kleemann and Andreas Schmidt. “For years, the AfD has fundamentally questioned and despised the democratic parties, their representatives and essential institutions of our democratic order in parliaments, public forums and its own publications.”
Kleemann and Schmidt emphasized that the results of the state elections were taken into account and the voters' decision was respected. “However, it does not change our basic political beliefs or our assessment of the AfD. In our view, there is no basis for discussions about cooperation between our parties.”
Left: AfD is dividing society
Forming a government in Saxony-Anhalt after the state elections is complicated. The AfD received by far the most votes, but missed out on a sole government. Before the election, all other parties had ruled out a coalition with the AfD. Nevertheless, AfD General Secretary Tobias Rausch announced that he would like to invite all parties represented in the state parliament to exploratory talks.
The left has also already rejected it. The state chairmen Janina Böttger and Hendrik Lange explained in their response to the AfD: “The Left has no basis for discussion with a party that sorts out people based on their origin, supposed affiliation and beliefs.” The AfD is aggressively dividing society and fueling a climate of fear, disinhibition and arbitrariness.
CDU leading candidate Sven Schulze has already ruled out collaboration with the AfD several times. “We are in the opposition,” emphasized Schulze after his election as CDU parliamentary group leader. After this election result, one is not instructed to think about participating in the government.
A CDU spokeswoman confirmed receipt of the AfD letter. “We will not accept this offer to talk,” she said. “Our position is clear: We reject cooperation with the AfD Saxony-Anhalt, which the state Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified as definitely right-wing extremist.”
Siegmund wants to search among the other factions
The CDU is represented in the new state parliament by 15 members. The SPD, the Left and the Greens each have 8 seats; the BSW entered the state parliament in Magdeburg for the first time with 5 representatives. The AfD won 39 of the total 83 mandates. This means she is three votes short of an absolute majority. Whether and how she can achieve this remains to be seen.
AfD top candidate Ulrich Siegmund wants to seek a majority from the other factions and individual MPs. However, CDU representatives have repeatedly emphasized that there will be no defections to the AfD. These are not to be expected from the SPD, the Left and the Greens anyway.
So the only option left for the AfD at the moment is the BSW. When asked whether he would expressly rule out a coalition with the AfD, BSW top candidate Thomas Schulze recently gave an evasive answer.
BSW accuses other parties of poor political behavior
BSW top candidate Thomas Schulze told the German Press Agency that the state executive board would discuss the AfD's invitation. In principle, they are ready to talk to all parties. “We consider the fact that other parties are already rejecting the conversation itself to be bad political behavior and not a good sign for the democratic culture in our country.”
In any case, the AfD does not feel any time pressure when it comes to forming a state government. A spokesman for the AfD said they would comment when there were results to be announced.
CDU top candidate Sven Schulze is already confident that the AfD and BSW will work together. After his election as CDU parliamentary group leader, he said: "I'm pretty sure that after the state elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania at the latest, the AfD and BSW will tell the truth, that they have long since agreed on how this should happen."
