Saxony election: CDU fights for power against aspiring AfD

Saxony election: CDU fights for power against aspiring AfD

Dresden and Berlin are in political focus, and for good reason. In the state election in Saxony, an exciting head-to-head race burns between the CDU and the AfD. The latest forecasts from ARD and ZDF show that the CDU under Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer easily lives behind its result from 2019 while the AfD attracts. This is particularly noteworthy, since none of the other parties consider working with the AfD.

The newly founded Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) has also positioned itself heavily and could surprisingly land in third place, followed by the SPD. The Situation for the Greens is tense, while the left apparently fails at the five percent hurdle and possibly flying out of the state parliament. The CDU shows the current forecasts (as of 6 p.m.) with 31.5 to 32 percent, while the AfD is located at 30.0 to 31.5 percent. The BSW could achieve 11.5 to 12 percent, the SPD 7.5 to 8.5 percent, and the left falls to 4.0 to 4.5 percent.

The way for the CDU to power

Since reunification, the CDU has always had the legend in Saxony. Kretschmer has ruled in a coalition with the Greens and the SPD since 2019. If the forecasts arrive, the CDU will be tight to continue this coalition. After a ZDF forecast, it could just be enough while the ARD forecast is less optimistic. However, a partnership with the BSW and another partner would be an option. However, one thing remains unresolved: Wagenknecht was once a member of the SED and was considered a symbolic figure of the communist platform within the left, which raises concerns in the ranks of the CDU.

The CDU is subject to an incompatibility decision that strictly prohibits cooperation with the AfD and the left. However, there are no such rules for the BSW, which makes cooperation theoretically possible. The Greens had expressed concerns about a possible minority government before the election, but are aware that the CDU and SPD have already ruled three times in Saxony.

The role of the AfD in Saxony

The AfD has already beat the CDU in this region in several elections, including two Bundestag elections and a European election. If she now won more than a third of the state mandates, she would have a so -called blocking minority. This would mean that for important decisions that require a two -thirds majority, the approval of the AfD would be necessary. One example is the choice of constitutional judges who have to be elected by Parliament with this majority.

The election campaign itself was characterized by intensive debates. A central topic was Germany's role as an ally of Ukraine and NATO in the context of the Russian war of aggression. Wagenknecht emphasized that the BSW participation in a government depends on the fact that it clearly positions itself against the stationing of far-reaching US rockets in Germany.

The discussion about asylum and migration was also heated by a tragic stabbing tattel in Solingen, in which three people were killed. The federal prosecutor has identified a suspected Islamist Syrian as a perpetrator who had previously come to Germany as a refugee. Political violence has also increased in recent months, as brutal assault on the SPD politician Matthias Ecke shows, which was attacked for the European elections in Dresden.