German interior ministers scrap unanimity rule and isolate AfD ahead of Saxony-Anhalt vote

Voting rule reform

Germany's Conference of Interior Ministers (IMK) has amended its standing rules, abandoning the long-standing requirement for unanimous decisions across all 16 federal states. Under the new procedure, joint resolutions require a qualified majority of at least 13 votes to pass. The rule change is intended to prevent a single state, specifically one led by the Alternative for Germany (AfD), from exercising a veto over conference decisions. The IMK coordinates national domestic security policy, covering operational areas from deportation protocols to disaster relief and civil protection. While the federal interior minister participates in the sessions as a guest with speaking and motion rights, voting power remains reserved exclusively for the 16 state ministers.

Exclusion from preparatory groups

Beyond the voting threshold adjustment, established parties have moved to exclude any future AfD interior minister from informal conference working groups. State interior ministries coordinate policy in two traditional caucuses: the SPD-led "A-Länder" and the CDU- and CSU-led "B-Länder". Historically, interior ministers from coalition governments led by the Greens in Baden-Württemberg and the Left Party in Thuringia were accommodated within one of the two factions. Joachim Herrmann, the interior minister of Bavaria and current spokesperson for the B-Länder, confirmed that an AfD minister would be barred from these closed preparatory sessions.

The resolution of CDU and CSU is clear: there is no cooperation with the AfD.

Herrmann stated that the prospect of admitting an AfD minister into the Union group was entirely out of the question.

That will not happen.

Representatives from SPD-governed states likewise stated that an AfD minister would be barred from the A-Länder group, leaving any potential AfD representative isolated during preliminary policy negotiations.

Saxony-Anhalt election aftermath

The procedural shifts follow the state election in Saxony-Anhalt on 6 September 2026, where the AfD secured 43.8% of the vote, finishing ahead of the CDU at 17.2%. The AfD remains three seats short of an absolute majority in the state parliament. Ulrich Siegmund, the party's lead candidate, has stated his intention to seek election as state minister-president shortly before Christmas. For the upcoming IMK session scheduled for early December 2026, Saxony-Anhalt will continue to be represented by acting interior minister Tamara Zieschang of the CDU, as government formation talks continue.

Institutional disputes and legal challenges

The measures within the IMK follow broader administrative and legal disputes surrounding the AfD's role in German governance. In the federal parliament, where the AfD forms the second-largest parliamentary group with 151 lawmakers, the party was denied access to the larger Otto-Wels meeting room used by the smaller SPD faction, a decision upheld by the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe. Legal scholars note that municipal officials and district administrators hold specific constitutional duties of loyalty, providing legal grounds for institutional safeguards. However, legal and political observers note that abandoning the IMK unanimity rule alters the character of its joint declarations. Under the 13-vote rule, up to three dissenting states are not legally bound to execute conference resolutions they opposed.