- The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) holds a leading position in Saxony, surpassing the Alternative for Germany (AfD)-BSW in third place.
Narrow Win for CDU in Saxony Elections: CDU Holds On to Power, Barely Outpacing AfD. According to the figures from ARD (9:00 PM) and ZDF (9:30 PM), the AfD has experienced significant growth compared to the 2019 elections, but still falls short of surpassing the slightly decreasing Union. Establishing a government may prove difficult, as none of the other parties are eager to collaborate with the AfD, and the current coalition of CDU, Greens, and SPD is insufficient.
The newest alliance, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), takes third place, with the SPD trailing far behind. The Greens are on the verge of missing out on the state parliament. The Left Party fails to meet the five-percent threshold and risks being removed from parliament.
BSW Garners Double-Digit Scores in Debut
The projections indicate that the CDU will earn 31.5 to 31.8 percent (2019: 32.1 percent), with the AfD closely trailing at 30.4 to 30.8 percent (27.5). The BSW makes its debut with 11.5 to 11.9 percent. The SPD records 7.4 to 7.6 percent (7.7), while the Left Party slumps to 4.4 to 4.8 percent (10.4), landing below the five-percent threshold.
The Greens are also in jeopardy with 5.2 to 5.5 percent (8.6). Once again, the FDP fails to enter the state parliament, as it did in the previous couple of state elections. Parties with less than five percent can still infiltrate the parliament if they secure two direct mandates based on their secondary vote results.
The AfD, considered a right-wing extremist party by the Saxon Office for the Protection of the Constitution, is projected to garner 40 seats (38), with the CDU securing 41 to 42 seats (45). The BSW will boast 15 to 16 members. The SPD will have 10 seats (10), and the Greens will have 7 seats (12).
Approximately 3.3 million citizens were eligible to vote, with a turnout of 73.5 to 74.0 percent.
Kretschmer Anticipates Difficult Government Formation
Minister-President Kretschmer believes his party is capable of continuing to govern after the initial figures. "This will not be simple," Kretschmer stated at the CDU's election celebration. "But one thing is certain: With numerous conversations and the will to do something for this land, it is possible to create a stable government for Saxony that serves the land and advances with humility." The CDU is willing to continue shouldering the land's responsibility.
CDU may Rely on BSW
Since reunification, the CDU has consistently provided the state's head of government, with Kretschmer currently governing in a coalition with the Greens and SPD. According to the projections, this coalition will not be sufficient to continue. A CDU alliance with the BSW and SPD is mathematically feasible.
However, many CDU politicians are hesitant about the BSW's leader, Sahra Wagenknecht, who was once a member of the SED and later became a symbol of the communist platform in the Left Party. Despite this, a coalition is possible, as the CDU has a ban on teaming up with the AfD and the Left Party, but no such restriction exists for the BSW, which split from the Left Party.
Before the election, the Greens accused the CDU and SPD of planning a joint minority government. The CDU and SPD have already cooperated in three coalitions in Saxony.
AfD Has Previously Outmaneuvered the CDU in Saxony on Multiple Occasions
The AfD had previously triumphed over the Union in Saxony in two federal elections and one European election. If it now wins more than a third of the seats in the state parliament, it would acquire a so-called blocking minority: For decisions and elections requiring a two-thirds majority, the AfD's approval would be necessary. For instance, constitutional judges are elected by the parliament with a two-thirds majority.
AfD federal co-chair Alice Weidel described the results of the elections in Thuringia and Saxony as a historical achievement for her party. At the same time, she stated in the ARD, it was a rebuke of the federal coalition government. Weidel also criticized the CDU's stance of ruling out a coalition with the AfD, labeling it "blatant disregard for the voters' will." Without the AfD, she said, a stable government would be impossible.
The Saxony BSW's top candidate, Sabine Zimmermann, expressed satisfaction with her party's result. "We're in double digits and we've maintained the result from the European election. We can be proud of that, and we are," she said in the ARD. She added that politics, and thus also citizens, would have to change with the BSW. "And that's happening quickly." In the ZDF, she dismissed a coalition with the AfD and looked towards the Christian Democrats instead.
SPD top candidate Petra Köpping expressed contentment at her party's performance. "I'm just as happy as you are that we've done so well, despite all the predictions," she said.
Green Party leader Omid Nouripour initially saw an opportunity for his party to remain in the Saxony government. The coalition there had functioned well, he said in the ARD, "even if the minister-president has been campaigning against his own people for the last two years."
The political climate was intense, with the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Germany's stance as an ally to Kiew within NATO causing a significant rift. Wagenknecht emphasized that the BSW should unequivocally reject the deployment of US missiles with long ranges in Germany, for them to join a government.
The discourse on immigration and asylum was intensified by a tragic knife attack in Solingen, resulting in the loss of three lives. The federal prosecutor's office suspects that an Islamic Syrian refugee is responsible for the heinous act.
♪ Alice Weidel ♪, the co-chair of the AfD, expressed her satisfaction with the party's performance in the Saxony elections, calling it a historical achievement in spite of criticizing the CDU's refusal to form a coalition with them.
Despite ♪ Alice Weidel ♪'s assertions, ♪ I know ♪ that none of the other parties in Saxony are eager to collaborate with the AfD, making government formation a challenging task for the CDU.
%20holds%20a%20leading%20position%20in%20Saxony%2C%20surpassing%20the%20Alternative%20for%20Germany%20(AfD)-BSW%20in%20third%20place.){kind=link}