If the successful AfD top candidate Ulrich Siegmund stands for election, then the BSW will continue to abstain from a third round of voting in the state parliament, says BSW top candidate Thomas Schulze.
The BSW top candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, Thomas Schulze, has announced that his party's new state parliamentary group would abstain from electing a prime minister in a third round of voting. “We will not take part in a firewall coalition,” Schulze announced on Deutschlandfunk.
They want to talk to all parties. There is no need to accuse the BSW of being a “stirrup holder”, that is the other parties, explained Schulze. "I see the AfD as a party that was elected by 44 percent of the people here. And I have to take that into account. For me, that is democracy." There are overlaps with the AfD, for example, in the demand to lift the sanctions against Russia.
In the third round of voting, a simple majority in the Magdeburg state parliament is enough to elect a new prime minister - then the AfD could get its top candidate Ulrich Siegmund through. But we have to wait to see whether Siegmund will even stand for election as prime minister, said Schulze. He expects the AfD to approach the other parties as the election winner.
At the same time, Schulze confirmed that the BSW wanted to propose a non-partisan candidate for the office of Prime Minister. A person from Saxony-Anhalt will be named “promptly,” he said.
After counting all 2,661 electoral districts, the state election management announced the following preliminary results of the state election in Saxony-Anhalt at 2:56 a.m.: AfD: 43.8%, CDU: 17.2%, Left: 8.6%, SPD: 9.3%, Greens: 8.9%, BSW: 5.3%, FDP: 2.6%, Others: 4.4%. According to the information, voter turnout was 77.8 percent.
The Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate and CDU leader Gordon Schnieder has called on the federal government to make clear decisions and argue less. After the election in Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer believes that a self-critical pause in politics is urgently needed.
The AfD won the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt by a wide margin. Ulrich Siegmund is therefore not yet Prime Minister. His party is three seats short of an absolute majority. Mathematically, she could govern with the BSW - politically, such an alliance is not yet foreseeable. A government of all other parties or a minority model would also be possible.
The results of the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt are of “great concern” to the churches. "This state election has profoundly changed the political situation in Saxony-Anhalt. The country is divided. Our concern is for social peace and the coexistence of people in our state," said the bishops of the Protestant and Catholic Churches.
Chancellor Nina Warken insists on a stable federal government after the elections in Saxony-Anhalt. “It would be the wrong thing if we asked personnel questions,” said the CDU politician on ARD when asked about Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The strong performance of the party, which is classified as right-wing extremist in the state, is causing a great response beyond Germany. International media such as La Stampa, NZZ, The Independent and the Wall Street Journal report extensively on the election results.
Auschwitz survivor Eva Runde is horrified by the AfD victory in the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt. “This election result scares us,” said the President of the International Auschwitz Committee.
After the AfD's election victory in Saxony-Anhalt, the deputy SPD chairman Alexander Schweitzer believes it is necessary to rethink the federal government's reform course. Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) sees the AfD's clear election victory in Saxony-Anhalt as a historical turning point and a "break in the era".
After the BSW's narrow election success, party founder Sahra Wagenknecht is calling for a “new political beginning” in Saxony-Anhalt. “Hopefully there are now majorities in the Magdeburg state parliament for a change of course in energy policy, an end to the Russia sanctions, better education and a fundamental reform of public broadcasting,” said Wagenknecht.
