- House Collective Advocates for Innovative Policy Approaches in Governance
The traditional Homeland Union within the Saxon CDU can't envision a partnership with neither the AfD nor the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), so they propose "revamped strategies for governance." The Homeland Union's leadership didn't utter the term 'minority government,' but they had previously suggested such a system following the 2019 state election.
Sven Eppinger, the Homeland Union's leader, told the German Press Agency that a radical collaboration with parties whose policies would damage the nation was out of the question, having won a CDU mandate during the state election on Sunday. The Union's core focus should be purely on policy matters that benefit the state - bolstered by the motto, "All about Saxony."
The CDU used this slogan during their electoral campaign, with the Saxon Union just barely edging out the AfD (30.6%) by scoring 31.9% of the votes in the state election. Since CDU Minister President Michael Kretschmer firmly bans working with the AfD, the Union's options are now limited to an alliance with BSW and SPD or BSW and Greens - or a minority government manually enabled by others. No Saxon government has employed this strategy thus far. The AfD never officially declined the proposition of backing a CDU minority government post-election.
Maintain a public image and steer clear of whimsicality
Homeland Union spokesperson Ulrich Link described the situation as disquieting, but there will be plenty of individual legislators prepared to back beneficial policies for Saxony in specific matters. The CDU is centered on displaying its unique identity and staying clear of inconsistency.
The Homeland Union also viewed the election outcome as a consequence of the federal government's disastrous transportation policy pipelined by the "traffic light" administration. In the ensuing government establishment, it's crucial to prioritize Saxony's interests. This, however, is hard to accomplish with the Greens, according to the Union, citing Kretschmer's statement as backing: "The Greens pay less attention to vital concerns for the country and are becoming increasingly driven by ideological beliefs."
The Homeland Union within the Saxon CDU has consistently expressed their opposition to partnering with the AfD, considering their policies potentially harmful to the nation. Despite the AfD narrowly losing to the CDU in the state election, they never officially declined the proposal for supporting a CDU minority government.
