Landtagswahl in Sachsen-Anhalt: Merz setzt Leitplanken für Kooperation mit der Linken

Federich Merz, the CDU leader, has ruled out formal cooperation with the Left and AfD parties in the upcoming Landtag election in Sachsen-Anhalt. However, in an interview with local newspapers, he did provide insight into how he envisions a government without the AfD, with the help of the Left and other parties if CDU, SPD, and Green cannot form a majority.

Merz pointed to Saxony and Thuringia as examples where CDU ministers have cooperated with the Left to govern. However, he ruled out a common content-based government program or personnel involvement by the Left in the government. This move by Merz opens up a potential solution to the dilemma posed by the likely election outcome in Sachsen-Anhalt, where the AfD will not have an absolute majority and the three center parties (CDU, SPD, Green) together will also fail to gain a majority.

In such a scenario, the CDU would have to decide whether and how to cooperate with the Left to form a government. The CDU's internal decision from 2018 firmly states that "coalitions and similar forms of cooperation" are not allowed with either the AfD or the Left. Merz reiterated this stance in the interview. He emphasized that there are fundamental differences between the Union and the Left that make collaboration impossible.

When asked about a CDU-led minority government coping with changing majorities, Merz stated that they would observe how governments in Thuringia and Saxony operate, but emphasized that there are limits, particularly in terms of a government's involvement or a shared government program.