The Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, has called for a more serious engagement with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Speaking to the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit”, Haseloff stated that the previously held taboo surrounding voting for the AfD no longer exists.
He observed a nationwide erosion of established norms, stating, “We are noticing a mental erosion across the country. This ‘you mustn’t do that’ – rooted in German history – is eroding further and further from the municipal level upwards.
However, Haseloff cautioned against the potential consequences should his state be governed by the AfD following the state elections in autumn 2026. He warned that the central risk of an AfD-led government would be the increasing isolation of the state. He identified culture and education as areas where an AfD government would likely exert the most influence, emphasizing that this potential impact should not be underestimated. He questioned the implications of allowing instructors with nationalist backgrounds from other countries to teach children.
Despite these concerns, Haseloff does not consider an absolute majority for the AfD in the upcoming state elections as a foregone conclusion.
Haseloff, who has consistently championed a clear distinction between the CDU and the AfD, described his party’s “firewall” policy as creating a strategic dilemma. He argued that the majority of voters in Germany, nationwide, identify with the center-right, rather than the left, stating, “And yet, due to this demarcation that we want and must make, we are pursuing policies in many areas for which there is no majority in society”. He believes the solution lies in strengthening the center-ground parties to regain their former prominence.
Haseloff has served as Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt since 2011 and announced in early August that he will not seek re-election in the next term. The CDU intends to nominate current party leader, Sven Schulze, as his successor. The state elections are scheduled for September 6, 2026.