Rumblings in Saxony-Anhalt: Haseloff Contemplates Exit if AfD Triumphs
If elected in Saxony-Anhalt, AfD could potentially prompt Haseloff to consider relocating.
The winds of change are blowing hard in Saxony-Anhalt, with the right-wing populist party AfD gaining momentum ahead of the 2026 state elections. Veteran Minister-President Reiner Haseloff, from the CDU, is sounding the alarm, mulling over the possibility of relocating if the AfD snatches victory.
"If the AfD takes control, I'd be wrestling with a significant question," Haseloff confided to Bild, "Would I abandon my homeland after 72 years? That'd be a tough call." For Haseloff, it'd create a "breath-taking atmosphere" he's unwilling to put up with.
His inner circle and close family are in the same boat, considering their options too. With his roots deeply enmeshed across Germany, Haseloff needn't leave the country if he chooses to depart Saxony-Anhalt. At times, listening to AfD orators in the state parliament brings back memories of the final days of the Weimar Republic or the Berlin Sportpalast, where Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels declared "total war" in 1943.
The date for a new state parliament election is set for September 6, 2026. Haseloff has held office since 2011, steering a coalition of CDU, SPD, and FDP. He hinted at the upcoming announcement of the CDU's top candidate for the state election campaign within a matter of weeks. Fingers crossed, he says, that as the candidate, an AfD member never sits on the government benches or implements their radical agenda. Haseloff emphasizes, "Whatever it takes, that must be prevented." East Germans, he believes, are vulnerable to persuasion, and he's optimistic about winning back voters won over by the AfD.
Haseloff also advocate for firm border control. "A nation must safeguard its borders, even by our Basic Law's standards," Haseloff told Bild. If judges block border rejections due to legal hurdles, Haseloff argues that politics should adapt the existing law to meet constitutional and European treaty principles while restraining extremist factions from gaining ground. Haseloff warns, "Democratic majorities in Saxony, Thuringia, or Brandenburg are dwindling."
- Politics Haseloff: "Adios, Saxony-Anhalt?"
- AfD
- Saxony-Anhalt
- Reiner Haseloff
- Saxony-Anhalt State Elections
- East Germany
Brief Insights
- Reiner Haseloff, long-serving Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt from the CDU, contemplating relocation if AfD wins power, reflecting deep political tensions and concerns about the shifting political landscape in Saxony-Anhalt.
- Haseloff's departure would signal profound polarization and instability in Saxony-Anhalt politics.
- Haseloff views the AfD's rise as a challenge to democratic values, social cohesion, and Germany's eastern states.
- Widespread concerns and debates among the CDU and wider political circles about addressing the underlying social and economic issues driving voters toward populist parties.
- The growing influence of the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt politics, illustrated by Minister-President Reiner Haseloff's contemplation of leaving his homeland if the party seizes power, raises significant questions about the future of democratic freedoms and political stability in the region.
- As the political landscape evolves in the wake of escalating conflicts and tension, Haseloff's call for firm border control and adaptation of the law to prevent extremist factions from gaining ground serves as a reminder of the importance of upholding democratic principles and maintaining freedom of movement in war-and-conflicts-stricken areas.
