Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, issued a warning regarding the upcoming state election in Saxony-Anhalt on September 6, specifically targeting the AfD party. In statements to the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland,” Schuster declared that the election would serve as a crucial test for the democratic center of the country.
He pointed out that AfD politicians, including the lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund and regional vice-head Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, openly oppose an open society. Schuster noted that these candidates advocate for radical shifts in crucial policy areas, movements that could equate to rejecting the fundamental consensus of the Federal Republic in fields like memorial culture. Tillschneider, who is considered a far-right representative of the AfD, was also criticized for advocating for what he termed a “sacralization of the Holocaust.”
Schuster emphasized that the parties constituting the democratic center now have a duty to act. They are challenged to genuinely address and take the concerns of the populace seriously. Simultaneously, he warned against any approach toward the far-right purely out of political calculation. Furthermore, he stated that the Alternative for Germany must not be given any political responsibility for liberal democracy or an open society, regardless of the election outcome.
According to the latest polling data, the AfD currently stands a chance of receiving 42 percent of the votes. Should this materialise, it would double the party’s results from 2021 and achieve its best-ever performance in a state election nationwide.
