Saxony-Anhalt's CDU leader says BSW will 'make common cause' with AfD after September election

Schulze's warning

Saxony-Anhalt's CDU minister president Sven Schulze has accused the left-conservative BSW of being ready to help the far-right AfD into government after the state election on 6 September. In an interview with the Funke Mediengruppe published on 21 July, Schulze said he was certain the BSW would seize any chance to cooperate with the AfD.

I am convinced that the BSW will make common cause with the AfD if the opportunity arises.

Schulze argued that both the AfD and the BSW are using the state election to gain federal political weight, and that their national leaders care little about Saxony-Anhalt itself. He singled out AfD federal co-chair Alice Weidel, who lives in Switzerland, and BSW founder Sahra Wagenknecht, who is from Saarland.

I don't want Saxony-Anhalt to be governed by Ms Weidel from Switzerland and Ms Wagenknecht from Saarland.

Attack on AfD candidate

Schulze also directed sharp criticism at the AfD's lead candidate in the state, Ulrich Siegmund. He described Siegmund as a "puppet" of Alice Weidel, claiming Siegmund does whatever Weidel demands and is being misused for her interests at the expense of his home region.

He doesn't realise that he is being abused to the detriment of his homeland for the interests of this woman.

BSW's position

BSW lead candidate Claudia Wittig had earlier signalled a limited willingness to work with the AfD on specific projects, but stressed that such cooperation would be narrowly bounded. She explicitly ruled out using BSW votes to elect an AfD minister-president, a scenario Schulze's warning implies.

There are projects that can be initiated with the AfD.

Polls and the firewall question

Recent surveys put the AfD at 41–42%, well ahead of the CDU's 23–26%, and even within reach of an absolute majority. The BSW is polling at 4–5%, just above the threshold for entering the state parliament. When asked whether the CDU's long-standing "firewall" against the AfD was still appropriate, Schulze gave an evasive answer, saying he would not discuss post-election scenarios before voters have decided.

With the election six weeks away, Schulze's remarks mark an escalation in the CDU's effort to frame the BSW as a potential enabler of AfD rule, while the BSW tries to keep its options open without crossing a red line on the minister-presidency.