Saxony-Anhalt Premier Rules Out AfD, Left Party Ministers in Future Government

Sven Schulze, the Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt, has firmly stated that he will not include ministers from the AfD or The Left party in his cabinet should he be re-elected. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) politician made his position clear on the sidelines of the CDU state party conference in Dessau-Roßlau.

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I say very clearly: With me, there will be no minister from the AfD or a minister from The Left party at the cabinet table.

"I say very clearly: With me, there will be no minister from the AfD or a minister from The Left party at the cabinet table," Schulze told Reuters. He stressed his fight for a stable government and his rejection of cooperation with parties on the far-right and far-left fringes.

This stance is particularly significant given the anticipated difficulties in forming a coalition after the state election on September 6. Current polls suggest only the AfD, CDU, The Left, and SPD could enter the state parliament. Schulze specifically distanced himself from the AfD, which is currently leading in polls and aiming for a sole governing role.

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We cannot become an island within Germany, that nobody wants to work with us anymore.

Schulze warned that Saxony-Anhalt risks becoming an "island within Germany" if it aligns with the AfD, a party classified as right-wing extremist in the state. He also addressed concerns about potential cooperation within the CDU, dismissing a widely shared photo of CDU parliamentary group leader Guido Heuer laughing with AfD top candidate Ulrich Siegmund. Schulze characterized such images as attempts by the AfD to create narratives that do not reflect reality, emphasizing that the photo from a panel discussion represented confrontation, not camaraderie, according to Heuer.

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It was more confrontation, not fraternization.