Amid shifting political winds in Saxony-Anhalt, Bundestag MP Sepp Müller intends to become the CDU’s next state leader. This announcement follows a period of intense scrutiny and criticism directed at him by CDU leader and candidate for Chancellor, Friedrich Merz. Müller made his plans public on Monday evening in Magdeburg.
The move comes shortly after it was revealed during the state leadership meeting that the incumbent state leader and Minister-President, Sven Schulze, is stepping down.
Merz had previously, during the CDU federal executive meeting, sharply criticized the actions of a deputy parliamentary group chair. He stated that nobody understood “how a deputy chair of the Bundestag faction could undermine our top candidate so strongly in the days leading up to the election,” referencing continuous undermining that had occurred over the preceding three days.
Although Merz did not name the individual, it was clear that he was referring to Müller. Müller had previously stated that the CDU should not cooperate with either Die Linke or the AfD after the state elections. Merz highlighted the potential consequences of these shifts, noting that if poll results translate into actual election results, Ulrich Siegmund-who is associated with the AfD-could be entrusted with forming a government. Merz admitted that he would personally regret this outcome for the state, especially since Sven Schulze was conducting sound work, but conceded that the power to form the government would then rest with the AfD.
