Alexander Räuscher, a CDU politician from Saxony-Anhalt, has advised his party to support Ulrich Siegmund of the AfD for the position of Minister-President. Räuscher told the “Tagesspiegel” that the electoral results necessitate Siegmund becoming the Minister-President and that the CDU should enable his election. Räuscher, who recently served in the Parliament of Magdeburg, emphasized that the CDU should vote for Siegmund in the election planned for December not because of any alignment with his fanbase, but because the electorate demands it.
While admitting he has “stomach aches” about having Siegmund join the parliament, Räuscher stated he would proceed with the vote, adding, “We have to get through this now. I want to see how Mr. Siegmund has to fulfill one promise after another and how he will disappoint his voters.”
Regarding Siegmund himself, the CDU politician remarked that he is “far from confident.” Räuscher suggested that Siegmund’s decision to only face an initial election round demonstrated this insecurity. Furthermore, Räuscher claimed that Siegmund does not genuinely want to govern but rather wishes to hide in opposition. Characterizing him sharply, Räuscher called him a “professionally unsuccessful flyer, a drunkard.”
Finally, concerning the four votes secured by AfD and BSW Landtag President Tobias Rausch on Tuesday, Räuscher does not attribute these votes solely to CDU parliamentarians. He told the “Tagesspiegel”, “We can only speculate where the additional four votes for Mr. Rausch come from.” He believes these votes stem partly from the CDU and partly from the left-green-red camp, suggesting that the latter is attempting to criticize the CDU.
