Following the significant defeat of the CDU in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, calls for the resignation of Minister-President and state leader Sven Schulze have intensified. Furthermore, the Young Union has demanded the resignation of the entire state leadership board, suggesting that the rising AfD party should assume the governmental mandate.
CDU General Secretary Franziska Hoppermann conceded that the outcome represented “a defeat for the Christian Democrats overall,” though she specified that this should not lead to federal political repercussions.
In contrast, Alexander Hoffmann, head of the CSU group in the state, maintained that the clear victory of the AfD in the election does not warrant a change in the coalition’s reform agenda. Hoffmann told the “Rheinische Post”, “This difficult election result does not change the need for reform in our state.” While acknowledging the election was “a very bitter election night for the CDU in Saxony-Anhalt,” an event that Berlin must also address, he emphasized that the federal coalition remains firm in its commitment to comprehensive national modernization.
According to the latest projections, the AfD secured an average of 44.4 percent in Saxony-Anhalt, narrowly missing a full majority of mandates. The CDU’s share of the vote, however, has more than halved compared to the last election, currently standing at 18.3 percent according to these estimates.
The Left Party (9.2 percent), the Greens (8.5 percent), and the SPD (8.7 percent) also managed to gain seats in the state parliament. The situation for the BSW (4.9 percent) is tight, as their entry could ultimately decide whether AfD top candidate Ulrich Siegmund is elected as Minister-President. Meanwhile, the FDP (2.4 percent), which previously collaborated with the CDU and SPD in government, has clearly failed to enter the parliament.
