Leading politicians from both the Union (CDU) and the SPD warned of massive security risks for Germany should the AfD assume a role in government following the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt.
Marc Henrichmann, the chairman of the parliamentary intelligence control panel from the CDU, stated in an interview with “Handelsblatt” that the situation posed a fundamental “question of national security”. He highlighted the critical reliance that German industrial, state, intelligence, and international cooperation is built upon trust. He argued that if a party with proven ties to far-right circles and an overtly pro-Russian stance were to take governmental responsibility, it would severely strain this foundational trust.
According to Henrichmann, mechanisms for exchanging sensitive intelligence reports and security-relevant information require an absolute guarantee of confidentiality and protection for national interests at all times. Consequently, the CDU politician demanded that federal security authorities must promptly evaluate how best to shield sensitive information, sources, and operational structures. He stressed that the flow of information must be strictly limited to situations where confidentiality can be guaranteed.
Echoing these concerns, Sebastian Fiedler, the SPD parliamentary spokesperson, expressed alarm regarding a possible AfD government. He warned in “Handelsblatt” that such a scenario would impact Germany’s entire security architecture, placing unique challenges before the security authorities.
The core concern raised by both parties was the potential for a far-right, Putin-friendly ruling regime to gain domestic power. The politicians reasoned that if such a group were in command, they should ideally remain unaware of who is being monitored by the domestic intelligence services. Therefore, surveillance and police agencies would be forced to carefully weigh and restrict any information provided to a potentially compromised government.