The Landtag of Saxony‑Anhalt chose former economy minister Sven Schulze, a CDU member, as its new Minister‑President.
In the first round of voting on Wednesday in Magdeburg, Schulze secured 58 votes, comfortably surpassing the minimum requirement of 49. The governing coalition-comprising the CDU, SPD and FDP-holds only 56 seats in the 137‑member parliament, so Schulze’s win guarantees continuity for the party alliance.
Schulze now takes over from Reiner Haseloff, who announced at the end of last year that he would step down after nearly fifteen years in office and would not contest the upcoming September state election. As the CDU’s leading candidate for that contest, Schulze’s victory is expected to give the coalition a “term bonus” or boost in political standing.
However, political scientists express doubt that such an advantage will last, warning that the timing might be too late to shape the electorate’s views before the next election. Meanwhile, opinion polls show the AfD-deemed firmly extremist by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution-clearly ahead of the CDU in Saxony‑Anhalt, indicating that the coalition’s gains may still face significant challenges.
