AfD and BSW draft joint motion in Saxony-Anhalt seeking end to Russia sanctions

Joint parliamentary motion

Following the constituent session of the newly elected Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) will present their first joint motion in the state parliament. Titled "Peace talks instead of war expansion in Ukraine", the draft text asserts that European sanctions against Moscow and German financial and military deliveries to Kyiv have failed. The parliamentary groups hold a combined legislative majority to pass the resolution during a designated special session in Magdeburg. Under the motion's provisions, state lawmakers will urge the regional administration to pursue immediate diplomacy, call for a ceasefire, and advocate for peace negotiations with the Russian government. The document also calls for an immediate lifting of economic sanctions and a complete normalization of bilateral trade between Germany and Russia.

Bundesrat initiative and legal limits

The draft motion directs the state government in Magdeburg to utilize all available legal instruments, specifically through an initiative in the federal Bundesrat, to halt further escalation in Ukraine. Under the proposed measures, all weapons shipments to Ukraine will stop and financial aid will cease, except for humanitarian assistance. However, decisions regarding foreign policy, defense aid, and sanctions regimes remain under the jurisdiction of the federal government in Berlin and European Union institutions in Brussels. Furthermore, state parliamentary resolutions carry no legally binding authority over the executive, as affirmed by a 2025 ruling from the State Constitutional Court of Saxony-Anhalt. Acting Minister-President Sven Schulze of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) will therefore face no statutory obligation to introduce the measure in the upper house.

Party leadership statements

BSW faction leader Thomas Schulze stated that the initiative fulfills commitments made by his party during the state election campaign.

We are fulfilling this campaign promise now. Magdeburg is sending a peace policy signal to Berlin.

BSW deputy parliamentary group leader Claudia Wittig defended the rapid cooperation with the AfD on foreign policy while noting that her faction does not endorse other AfD platform positions.

We need a policy that thinks more about Köthen than about Kyiv again.

Wittig added that Germany has become the primary financier of the conflict and stated that the country can no longer afford the ongoing hostilities. She acknowledged that the planned resolution will not be ready in time for the 16 October 2026 Bundesrat session, but indicated that the BSW expects the initiative to be introduced at the following federal sitting.

Schedule for the special session

The special plenary session follows the election of AfD politician Tobias Rausch as Landtag president on 6 October 2026, making him the first AfD member to lead a German state legislature. AfD lawmakers submitted the formal application for the extraordinary sitting, and Rausch confirmed that the assembly will convene to debate the motion. Under Rule 55 of the Landtag's rules of procedure, a special session must be called if requested by at least one quarter of parliamentary members. The rules require the Landtag president to convene the plenary without delay, scheduling the session within two weeks of receiving the formal request. AfD and BSW have specifically requested Wednesday, 14 October 2026, as the date for the special session.