Sachsen-Anhalt’s Prime Minister, Sven Schulze, responded to the clear defeat of his CDU party by offering congratulations to the AfD, the clear election winner. Addressing pro-CDU supporters on Sunday evening, Schulze stated, “Firstly-we are living in a democracy-I would like to congratulate the winner.” He noted that the AfD is now the strongest force in the state parliament, adding that the CDU will also have to deal with the result. He initially refrained from commenting on any potential personal consequences.
However, demands for his resignation soon followed. Eva Feußner, a former Minister of Education and CDU member of the state parliament, told the publication “Stern,” “If this state is important to him, Sven Schulze must take responsibility and step down as party chairman. There is absolutely no other way.”
Michael Hayn, the city council chairman of Merseburg and long-time district head of Saalekreis, echoed similar sentiments in an interview with “Stern.” He admitted, “I expected things to be bad, but I didn’t think it would get this bad. This is a disaster.” Hayn stressed that no one should shift the blame to others, asserting, “We must turn the tide ourselves.” He continued by saying that the top candidate must take responsibility for the election campaign, a measure he now expects from Schulze. He advised the Prime Minister that it would be wise to step back into a secondary role to potentially gain new strength there.
