Kretschmer Says Minority Government Likely in Saxony-Anhalt After State Election

A minority government may be the most likely outcome of Saxony-Anhalt’s state election, according to Saxony Premier Michael Kretschmer. “By all reasonable expectations, it will be a minority government,” he said at a public dialogue in Oranienbaum-Wörlitz.

Saxony-Anhalt will elect a new state parliament on Sept. 6. An Infratest-dimap poll for ARD places the AfD at 42% and the CDU at 22%. The SPD and Greens stand at 8% and 6%, respectively, keeping both parties above the 5% threshold. On those figures, the AfD would lead without an absolute majority.

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By all reasonable expectations, it will be a minority government.

Kretschmer pointed to his own experience in Saxony, where he has led a CDU-SPD government since December 2024. The two parties do not hold a majority in the state parliament and must seek support from other factions for individual proposals.

He said Saxony-Anhalt CDU leader Sven Schulze could pursue a similar model by discussing policy calmly with lawmakers. Kretschmer also argued that the CDU’s strength after the vote would matter. “We talk to everyone,” he said, adding that the substance of a proposal mattered more than which party made it. He ruled out a government with the Left, but did not exclude cooperation on individual issues.

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We talk to everyone.