“Circumstance that I have to evaluate” – Siegmund no longer rules out multiple ballots

AfD politician Ulrich Siegmund no longer rules out running in a second or third round of the prime ministerial election in Saxony-Anhalt. "We may have to reassess the situation. Whether I will run for a second or third time - or someone else - we will see," said Siegmund to the "Magdeburger Volksstimme". What is crucial is “that I don’t lose my credibility”.

Siegmund would like to stand for election in the Magdeburg parliament in December. He is dependent on three votes from other ranks. The CDU parliamentary group has decided to leave the hall during the election. The BSW intends to abstain. It is therefore unclear how Siegmund will achieve a majority. The AfD politician had originally announced that he would only run in one round of voting.

Siegmund now emphasized that his statement was made before the CDU decided to leave the hall. “I would not have thought it possible that people would use rules of procedure tricks or simply want to run away in order to make contempt for the democratic decisions of the people in Saxony-Anhalt,” said the AfD politician. "That's a circumstance that I have to evaluate. That's why I don't want to carve everything 100 percent in stone."

If the election of a head of government is not successful in the first round, a second round must take place within seven days. If this also fails, the state parliament will vote within another 14 days on whether to end the electoral period early. If this is not decided, a third round of voting will take place immediately, in which only a majority of the votes cast is required.

The AfD leadership is betting that Siegmund will become the first AfD Prime Minister in Germany. “Ulrich Siegmund will be Prime Minister,” said party leader Alice Weidel a few weeks ago. Whether in the “first, second or third round of voting, it doesn’t matter to us at all”.

Siegmund is more reserved. "I could make it easy for myself and say: I'll somehow slip through in a third round of voting. But that carries a high risk," he said. "Members of other parliamentary groups could get me into office if they abstain - but then let me run into the wall when it comes to important projects. And that would also endanger the success of the AfD nationwide. We now have a historic opportunity that I cannot jeopardize because of one position. That's why I have to weigh things up."

dpa/saha