Saxony-Anhalt: CDU lawmaker won't walk out of vote on AfD's Siegmund as premier
The CDU group plans to leave the chamber if the AfD's Ulrich Siegmund runs for state premier. Former group leader Guido Heuer says he will stay and won't reveal his vote.
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A Christian Democratic lawmaker in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt is breaking ranks with his parliamentary group. If far-right AfD politician Ulrich Siegmund stands for election as state premier in December, Guido Heuer, a former CDU group leader, told the news portal Nius: "I will not leave the chamber." He said walking out would amount to a "predetermination." Heuer did not say how he would vote in the secret ballot but said he rules out a coalition with the AfD or tolerating an AfD-led government.
The CDU group led by Sven Schulze has decided to leave the chamber during the first and second rounds of voting to avoid speculation about votes from its ranks. The move follows the election of AfD politician Tobias Rausch as parliament speaker, who received four more votes than the AfD and BSW hold together. The CDU denied that the extra votes came from its members. CSU leader Markus Söder urged any potential defectors to leave the party.
The AfD holds 39 seats, while 42 votes are needed in the first two rounds, meaning Siegmund needs at least three votes from outside his group. The BSW, with five seats, plans to abstain. According to dpa, Siegmund intends to run in only one round and says he is in talks with another parliamentary group and several individual lawmakers. The state's domestic intelligence agency classifies the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt as confirmed right-wing extremist.