Ulrich Siegmund will run as the AfD’s top candidate in Saxony-Anhalt on September 6th.Image: keystone
The AfD could lead the government of a German state for the first time in Saxony-Anhalt. What the party is planning in its 100-day program, which of the projects could be implemented and why the election is important for all of Germany.
July 14, 2026, 7:50 p.mJuly 14, 2026, 7:50 p.m
That’s why the choice is so important
On September 6, 2026, around 1.7 million eligible voters in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt will elect a new government. According to current surveys the AfD will be the strongest force. In some circumstances she could even achieve an absolute majority and thus provide the state government. AfD politician Ulrich Siegmund will run as the top candidate.
Politically, the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt has become increasingly important in recent years. On the one hand, because the AfD achieved particularly high election results there, and on the other hand, because the regional association is classified as “certain right-wing extremist endeavor”.
Saxony-Anhalt is a comparatively small federal state. In comparison: More than 2.5 million people vote in Berlin in the fall. But it could be the first time “that a right-wing extremist party has been back in power in Germany since the Second World War,” says “Zeit” journalist August Modersohn in the “Was Now?” podcast. The election is therefore important for all of Germany.
The AfD in Saxony-Anhalt is “safely right-wing extremist”
The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Saxony-Anhalt officially announced on November 7, 2023 that it classified the AfD state association in Saxony-Anhalt as a “secure right-wing extremist effort”. The regional association has around 3,500 members. The classification as a “secure right-wing extremist effort” is the last escalation stage for the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The parent party has so far been considered a right-wing extremist suspected case. The previous classification of the federal AfD as “certainly right-wing extremist” was stopped for the time being following a lawsuit by the AfD in an expedited procedure.
This is what the AfD is planning
Last weekend, the AfD Saxony-Anhalt presented its 100-day plan in the state capital Magdeburg. The aim is to follow US President Donald Trump, who also announced concrete measures for the first 100 days of his term in office during the election campaign, explains political scientist Roger Stöcker Focus.
The AfD is planning the following ten immediate measures for Saxony-Anhalt:
- Terminate state broadcasting contracts
- More deportations: Ulrich Siegmund speaks of almost 5,000 people who are obliged to leave the country and whom he wants to deport or make their lives “as unpleasant as possible”.
- Compulsory work for asylum seekers across the board
- Less money for party-affiliated foundations and for various programs in the area of democracy promotion, such as “School without Racism – School with Courage”
- Driving license support: Trainees in particular should benefit. Where the money will come from is unclear
- Special classes for children of asylum seekers and security guards at problem schools
- Ban on rainbow flags, but the German flag should fly every school day
- New state campaign: #Germanthinking instead of #modernthinking
- Fewer ministries: The AfD wants to save one or two ministries
- Corona investigation committee in the state parliament to deal with the pandemic
Economic policy is hardly mentioned in the 100-day plan, although, according to “Focus”, many people in Saxony-Anhalt are particularly concerned about the poor economic situation. Nevertheless, none of the measures focus on economic development or creating new perspectives on the labor market.
“The AfD has no effective economic program. It would mean a catastrophe for the economy,” warns Marcel Fratzscher, for examplePresident of the German Institute for Economic Research.
The plans are that realistic
Some of the goals could be implemented quickly if the AfD were to form the state government. Other goals would require more time and more support.
One project that cannot be implemented so quickly is the termination of the Interstate Broadcasting Treaty. In principle, a country can withdraw from public broadcasting, but the notice period is two years. In addition, the case law of the Federal Constitutional Court states that there must be public broadcasting. This means that the possible AfD state government would have to found a new version of the MDR (Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk), which could even be more expensive, like that Time writes.
Tightening migration policy is also not that easy to implement, says political scientist Oliver Lembcke MDR. Because this requires interaction, “especially with those forces from which we are trying to distance ourselves, first and foremost with the federal government.”
In general, it is a mixture of populist demands and quickly implemented measures. It is “striking that there is little legislation in it, but mostly ministerial decrees and government decisions,” says Lembcke. With this tactic, the party could already show initial results after 100 days.
This is how the other parties react
Other parties have so far held back from expressing their opinions. “I strongly advise everyone not to speculate about AfD majorities,” said German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CDU) to the Time. Thuringia’s SPD Interior Minister Georg Maier explains that they do not want to give the AfD a boost. However, he considers the collective silence to be “a very big mistake”.
It is also a mistake for the “Zeit” journalist Modersohn not to deal with the concrete consequences, he says in the podcast “Was Now?”. Society must be able to mentally prepare itself for what could happen in the fall.
In addition, the interior ministers of the federal states in particular would have to deal with key questions in advance: Should confidential information be exchanged between all federal states as before? And should an Interior Ministry led by the AfD have access to sensitive data – for example, which people support the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution as informants?
The election would have effects that could extend far beyond national borders. But whether the AfD can implement its plans ultimately depends on the outcome of the election on September 6th.