German Music Council calls Saxony-Anhalt election result a turning point

The German Music Council has described the AfD's election victory in Saxony-Anhalt as a political turning point and warned of consequences for the state's cultural landscape.

Lydia Grün, president of the umbrella organization, said the council viewed the possible effects on culture, artistic freedom and diversity with great concern. It would closely monitor cultural policy developments in Saxony-Anhalt and follow them critically, she said.

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We look with great concern at the possible consequences for culture, its freedom and diversity.

Grün specifically pointed to possible changes affecting public-service broadcasting, new funding requirements that could restrict artistic freedom, and the consequences of a restrictive migration policy for culture and education.

The AfD, whose state branch has been classified as far-right by Germany's domestic intelligence agency, won the state election by a wide margin. It did not secure an absolute majority, however, leaving the composition of the next government uncertain. The party's election program had called, among other measures, for a "patriotic cultural policy."

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This includes the possible effects on public-service broadcasting, the threatened restriction of artistic freedom through new funding requirements, and the consequences of a restrictive migration policy for the cultural and education sectors.