Saxony-Anhalt: BSW divided over how to deal with AfD candidate Siegmund
A BSW federal board member wants the party congress in November to rule out tolerating an AfD government. A dinner hosted by Compact magazine is fueling debate.
Archive image · Photo: FalkoMD / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Ahead of the planned election of a state premier in Saxony-Anhalt, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) is divided over how to deal with the AfD. The AfD intends to put forward its lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund at the state parliament's December session. It won the September 6 state election with 43.8 percent and holds 39 seats; the CDU, Left, Greens and SPD together also have 39, and the BSW five. A majority requires 42 votes, while a simple majority suffices in the third round. According to the weekly Der Freitag, the BSW has said it will not vote for Siegmund but considers the firewall against the AfD outdated and will back AfD initiatives it agrees with.
According to Der Freitag, a dinner attended by representatives of the AfD and BSW parliamentary groups and organized by Compact magazine, which the paper describes as far-right, is causing debate. BSW politician Claudia Wittig reportedly admitted she had underestimated how the images would be read. BSW federal board member Ralf Krämer plans to submit a motion at the party congress in November ruling out both a coalition with an AfD government and tolerating one in Saxony-Anhalt.
The CDU parliamentary group has decided to leave the chamber during the first and second rounds so that no member can be suspected of supporting Siegmund. However, former CDU group leader Guido Heuer intends to stay, citing his free mandate, Der Freitag reported. The author also points to the scenario of a minority government, drawing a parallel with the "Magdeburg model," when a red-green minority government was tolerated by the PDS after 1994.