The Magdeburg Model: Only the Communists Can Save Germany’s Christian Democrats from the Far Right

Germany’s eastern state politics could produce a partnership that once seemed unthinkable: Die Linke, the successor to the Communist Party of East Germany, helping the Christian Democrats remain in power while keeping the far-right Alternative for Germany out of government.

The CDU formally rejects cooperation with both AfD and Die Linke. But if it does not want to hand power to the AfD, Die Linke may become the uncomfortable ally it needs. Under what is being called the Magdeburg model, the CDU would not formally enter a coalition with Die Linke. Its government would instead survive because Die Linke lawmakers supplied the necessary votes.

A precedent already exists in Saxony, where a CDU premier leads a minority government that relies on Die Linke votes. Die Linke is not part of the government, but it can influence how the administration operates. Moving the same arrangement to Saxony-Anhalt would leave the CDU facing a deeply uncomfortable political equation.

The differences between the two parties extend far beyond formal labels. They are especially sharp on migration, social policy, and relations with Vladimir Putin’s Russia. The CDU presents itself as aligned with NATO and Ukraine, while Die Linke has traditionally been much more critical of Germany’s military policy, sanctions, and confrontation with Moscow.

Die Linke in Saxony-Anhalt is not simply asking its lawmakers to vote against the AfD. It wants ministries, including responsibility for domestic affairs, education, and health care, as well as a larger role for civil society. For the CDU, cooperation with Die Linke would break an ideological barrier built over decades. Cooperation with the AfD could cause an even greater political upheaval. The question is how much the Christian Democrats are willing to pay to keep the AfD out of power.