Former Constitution Protection President Hans-Georg Maaßen may be considered for the role of Interior Minister in Saxony-Anhalt, should the AfD party form the government there following the state election scheduled for September. This reporting comes from the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit”.
According to the report, Maaßen stated that he “would do it” if doing so would benefit the state. Although the local AfD branch has not officially commented on the rumor, several influential local politicians confirmed to media outlets that the discussion around his potential appointment is ongoing.
Speaking further to “Die Zeit”, the former head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution described speaking with AfD top candidate Ulrich Siegmund. Maaßen cautioned that if the AfD fails to deliver results in the political sphere, this would also result in damage to the federal party. He added that being a good campaigner does not automatically mean being a good administrator. Therefore, he stressed that it is crucial for him to have competent and professional people surrounding him to prevent a political “shipwreck”.
However, when asked whether he had personally been approached to take on the Interior Minister post, Maaßen declined to comment.
The backdrop for this discussion is the regional election scheduled for September 6th. Current polling data indicates that the AfD is nearing an absolute majority, standing at 41%, while all combined opposition parties are estimated to achieve roughly 45% of the vote.