AfD in Saxony-Anhalt: The way to the first blue state government!

AfD in Saxony-Anhalt: The way to the first blue state government!

On March 2, 2025, the AfD Saxony-Anhalt state party conference took place in Magdeburg, in which the party formulated ambitious goals for the upcoming state election. The state chairman Martin Reichardt announced the goal of winning all direct mandates and reaching 45 percent of the votes in order to provide the first AfD-led state government in Germany. Saxony-Anhalt described Reichardt as a "blue lighthouse in Germany", which underlines the party's claim to power in the region. These ambitions come just a week after the Bundestag election, in which the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt received 37.1 percent of the second votes and won all direct mandates, while the CDU only came to 19.2 percent.

The CDU sees itself in a precarious situation before the state election 2026. The result from the Bundestag election, which only the same votes were achieved as in the state election 2021, has caused concern. Uwe Groneberg, CDU district chairman in Dessau-Roßlau, described the result as "shocking". Political analysts are calling for the CDU to emphasize its own topics such as education and local infrastructure to regain voters. Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff and other party officials are concerned about the possibility of forming government from the democratic center.

internal turbulence in the AfD

The AfD's party congress was not only shaped by political ambitions, but also by internal conflicts. Election requests against General Secretary Jan Wenzel Schmidt and board member Kay-Uwe Ziegler were submitted, who were accused of manipulative methods and loss of trust. Schmidt announced his withdrawal while Ziegler was voted out. These internal tensions could affect AfD's ability to focus on actual political challenges and achieve their election goals.

right -wing populism in the context of social crises

The current situation in Saxony-Anhalt is in the greater context of the burgeoning right-wing populism in Germany. Studies show that right-wing populist parties and their ideologies gain influence in times of social and economic crises such as Corona pandemic and the Ukraine War. Bertina Kohlrausch from the Hans Böckler Foundation describes right-wing populism as an enemy attitude towards a supposedly withdrawn elite and a rejection of immigration. These phenomena can be observed, especially in East Germany, where trust in political institutions is low.

Overall, studies show that anti -democratic attitudes are widespread in society. The rise of the AfD is also seen as a sign of the need for reforms in democracy, in particular through social polarization and the subjective impression of social descent among many voters. Increased dealing with social issues could help to regain voters of right -wing populist parties. Political institutions urgently need to regain the trust of the citizens: to counteract the rise of these currents.

For further information on developments in Saxony-Anhalt and the political challenges that the parties expect, you can do the articles from Tagesschau and consult Hans-Böckler-Foundation.