Schnieder after state election: “We must start with ourselves”

“We must start with ourselves,” Rhineland-Palatinate Premier and CDU leader Gordon Schnieder said after the election in Saxony-Anhalt. He called on the federal government to make clear decisions and stop arguing.

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We must start with ourselves.

“Those who govern are responsible for ensuring that things work in the end, that problems are solved and decisions are made,” Schnieder said in Mainz. “Germany cannot afford endless political disputes.”

He said voters should not be expected to understand politics better. “We must deliver what people expect from politics: less arguing, clear decisions and concrete results.”

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Those who govern are responsible for ensuring that things work in the end, that problems are solved and decisions are made.

The AfD more than doubled its share of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt to 43.8%, compared with 20.8% in 2021, according to preliminary results. The figure was the party’s strongest result in a state election and the highest achieved by any party in such elections over the past decade. The CDU fell to 17.2%, from 37.1%, its worst state-election result in Saxony-Anhalt.

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We must deliver what people expect from politics: less arguing, clear decisions and concrete results.

“We must not simply return to business as usual after such a result,” Schnieder said. He pointed to the governing CDU-SPD coalition in Rhineland-Palatinate, saying the parties had not concealed their differences but had decided that responsibility for the state mattered more than party positioning. “We argue where necessary, but we reach agreement so the state can move forward,” he said, adding that he expected the same approach from the federal government.

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We argue where necessary, but we reach agreement so the state can move forward.