Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer issued warnings concerning a potential government led by the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt. Speaking to the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung”, Kretschmer heavily criticized the AfD’s political platform. He described its views on education, science, and European policy as “backward-looking” specifically targeting the proposed abolition of compulsory schooling as “crazy”. Furthermore, the Saxon Premier criticized the AfD’s attacks on the churches, suggesting the party is behaving like a defender of the “Christian Western world” while trying to strip churches of funds.
Citing polling figures approaching 40 percent, which increase the likelihood of an AfD-led government in Saxony-Anhalt, Kretschmer stressed that the nature of governance is paramount. He noted that this principle applies even at the local level, pointing out that the CDU is therefore collaborating with Sven Schulze to prevent an AfD administration.
Kretschmer also offered an indirect endorsement to Manuela Schwesig, the incumbent SPD Prime Minister in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. He highlighted her status as a “successful Prime Minister” and one who is “particularly assertive” concluding that such figures, who are capable of changing federal policy, ought to be re-elected.
The Saxon Premier dismissed the notion that merely assigning the AfD governmental power will undermine it. He stated that the solution to reducing the AfD’s influence cannot be found in giving them authority or organizing major protests. Instead, he argued that the proper way to defend democracy and the rule of law is to demonstrate that the established institutions and procedural rules of the state are successfully solving the nation’s problems-a feat, in his view, that is currently inadequate in the eyes of a large segment of the population.
