Saxony-Anhalt: CDU leader Schulze rules out coalition with AfD

In the debate about the foreseeably difficult formation of a government in Saxony-Anhalt, Prime Minister Sven Schulze rejected cooperation with the AfD. “I have no plans to work with the AfD,” said the CDU state leader on MDR after the state elections. “But today there is no question of working with anyone.”

Schulze had previously avoided a clear answer on ARD about the continued existence of the “firewall” in relation to the AfD, which the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified as right-wing extremist in Saxony-Anhalt. «We will deal with this election result tomorrow, when we have the final result. We have decisions at the federal level, but we have a projection that hits us hard. That's why we have to deal with it first."

The Union fundamentally rejects coalitions or similar forms of cooperation with the AfD. The basis for the CDU is a party conference resolution from 2018, which excludes cooperation with the AfD and the Left. This is usually understood to mean that there should be no common majorities, agreements or alliances that give the AfD influence on government actions or parliamentary decisions. The stability of this firewall is often the subject of debate.