Landtagswahl: AfD-Spitzenkandidat Siegmund verärgert Wirtschaft in Sachsen-Anhalt

At an entrepreneur forum in Saxony-Anhalt ahead of the upcoming Landtag elections on September 6, AfD's top candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, was absent. This absence caused frustration among the region's business community. Thomas Brockmeier, the managing director of the Industry and Commerce Chamber (IHK) Halle-Dessau, expressed his disappointment when Siegmund failed to attend.

He noted that even his initially announced replacement, Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, had also canceled at the last minute. The AfD cited scheduling conflicts, while Tillschneider also cited other pre-planned commitments. AfD's spokesman, Jan Scharfenort, defended the decision, stating it sent the party's "economic political competence" to the event.

However, the lack of Siegmund's presence was particularly significant for the IHK, as ten out of the 22 pre-submitted questions were directed at him, followed by nine questions for CDU's Schulze. The AfD's absence was not the only issue; they were also leading in the polls with 41-43% support, posing a challenge for potential coalition partners.

The AfD's main focus in their government program is to attract back former German workers and create an "return program for emigrated German workers" with assistance in housing. In a separate flash debate, Scharfenort defended his party's stance on foreign workers, stating that they should be allowed to be trained and employed during asylum procedures.

He also mentioned his wife's experience of immigrating to Germany from Africa 14 years ago and reiterated the AfD's support for foreign workers who have proven successful in Germany. The AfD's stance on the future of the Rundfunkstaatsvertrag and the consequences of the AfD's potential cancellation of the MDR state contract remained unanswered.