Sven Schulze of the CDU was elected as the new Minister-President of Saxony‑Anhalt by the state parliament on Wednesday. The former Minister for Economic Affairs secured 58 votes, comfortably surpassing the minimum 49 required for a majority, even though the governing coalition only has 56 seats in the legislature.
Schulze takes over from Reiner Haseloff, also of the CDU, who had announced the year before that he would not seek reelection after roughly 15 years in office. With the new leadership, the coalition of CDU, SPD and FDP hopes to give Schulze a “term bonus” that could strengthen their position. Political scientists, however, view the timing of the transition with skepticism, suggesting it may be too late to deliver significant benefits.
In current opinion polls, the Alternative for Germany (AfD)-classified by the constitutional protection agency as securely far‑right-remains well ahead of the CDU in Saxony‑Anhalt.