Landtag: CDU-Fraktion wird bei Ministerpräsidenten-Wahl in Sachen-Anhalt nicht im Saal sein

In Sachsen-Anhalt, if the AfD politician Ulrich Siegmund stands for the position of Minister-President in December, the CDU fraction will not be present in the chamber. According to Fraktion leader Sven Schulze, the deputies will leave the room after a more than three-hour faction meeting in Magdeburg. "The fraction has agreed to do so," Schulze said.

The faction leadership had proposed the move to the 15 deputies, 14 of whom voted for it, while former faction leader Guido Heuer wanted to consult a lawyer regarding future elections and abstained. The CDU faction executive board aimed to dispel the suspicion of AfD votes for Minister-President Tobias Rausch. Siegmund, who won the Landtag election in December, needs at least 42 votes in the parliament to secure a majority, with the AfD having 39.

The BSW announced it would abstain, leaving Siegmund needing three votes from other factions. The CDU still has to cope with the outcome of the vote for the AfD Landtag President. Tobias Rausch, the AfD candidate, received at least four votes from other factions during the secret AfD Landtag President election vote, alongside votes from the AfD and BSW.

There were only five abstentions in total during the secret vote. Schulze expressed the feeling that the faction has come together after today's discussion. "There were very, very factual contributions," he said. All deputies had spoken several times. "The majority of the deputies kept saying the same thing: it is the past, it must be overcome, and we must look forward."

The majority of deputies kept mentioning the same thing: it is the past, it must be overcome, and we must look forward. They are now the strongest opposition force facing great tasks and must work together. "Working together means all 15 of us," Schulze stated. "I can truly say that my impression is that we have come a bit further together and some divisions are now slowly starting to close." More: Union and SPD are caught between the brand walls – "So fragile had it never been before"