AfD's Siegmund to stand for Saxony-Anhalt premier in December
Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD lead candidate who won the Saxony-Anhalt state election, wants to be elected minister-president in December. He announced on Tuesday in Magdeburg, after a meeting of his parliamentary group, that as things stand he will stand as candidate at the December session of the state parliament.
The AfD won 43.8 percent of the vote on 6 September, ahead of the CDU with 17.2 percent, and holds 39 of the 83 seats. That is three short of the 42 votes needed in the first two rounds of voting. Only in a third round is a simple majority of votes cast enough, and abstentions do not count. The five BSW members have said they will abstain. Siegmund said he is in "constructive talks" with another parliamentary group and with individual members of other groups, without giving details. He said the result would not be a classic minority government. Before the election he had said he would only govern with an absolute majority.
Other parties are looking for an alternative. The SPD, Greens, Left and BSW held first talks on Tuesday about a non-party minister-president, but the four groups have no majority without the CDU, which declined the invitation. They plan to continue after the new parliament's first sitting on 6 October. At that sitting the AfD wants its member Tobias Rausch elected as speaker, and the BSW has said it will vote for him. Until a new minister-president is elected, the outgoing state government stays in office.
What it means for you: nothing changes yet for people living in Saxony-Anhalt. Rules, benefits and public services continue as before. The dates to watch are 6 October, when the new parliament meets, and the December session, when the vote on a new head of government could take place. An AfD-led government would be the first in any German state.