According to Sepp Müller, the chairman of the CDU regional group in the Bundestag, the responsibility for forming a government following the state election this coming Sunday rests with the AfD. Speaking to the Politico news magazine’s podcast, “Berlin Playbook,” Müller stated that if the poll results reflect the actual election outcomes, then Ulrich Siegmund, representing the AfD, has a mandate to form a government.
The CDU politician further explained that his party’s clear aim is to organize a majority by seeking support from the center. Simultaneously, he made it clear that his party would not enter into a coalition with either the Left Party (Linkspartei) or the AfD. Müller added that if such cooperation proves impossible, the duty of forming the government reverts to the strongest parliamentary group.
Müller also refuted reports suggesting that the AfD has compiled a shortlist of CDU members who could potentially be won over to support AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund for the position of Minister-President. “I believe that is more of a rumor being played out in the media,” he commented. He stressed that Sven Schulze has established a state list where every candidate will support him. In the scenario where no majority is achieved, Müller announced that the existing government would continue to serve in a caretaker capacity, meaning that Sven Schulze would remain in charge of the state.
