{
  "id": 6138795,
  "title": "Handwerkspräsident: „Dass sich manche Menschen wieder nach einer starken Hand sehnen, ist beängstigend“",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/handwerksprasident-dass-sich-manche-menschen-wieder-nach-einer",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-07T13:41:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/landtagswahl-fehlende-bereitschaft-die-grossen-themen-anzupacken/100252084.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Handwerkspräsident Michael Kretschmer has warned that the AfD's perceived success in Saxony-Anhalt is alarming, as it suggests that people are once again yearning for a strong hand. He does not believe that the election results were primarily focused on Saxony-Anhalt, but rather the election served as a warning to the federal government. Kretschmer suggests that politicians should be more precise in explaining their statements and how they intend to address existing political majorities in Berlin to bring about changes. He believes that the focus should be on economic policy, eliminating structural disadvantages, and ensuring fair distribution of economic benefits. Kretschmer remains unconvinced that the SPD's recent performance in Saxony-Anhalt is a positive sign, as they only obtained slightly over nine percent, which is closer to the five percent threshold than the Christian Democratic Union. He criticizes the SPD for losing its broad appeal and calls for the party to reconsider its approach to state responsibility, as demonstrated by past social democrats such as Willy Brandt, Helmut Schmidt, and Gerhard Schröder. The AfD's proposal for a chancellor swap, replacing Friedrich Merz with Hendrik Wüst, is not something Kretschmer can assess, but he urges the SPD and the SPD as a whole to utilize their democratic mandate. He argues that the focus should be on concrete issues, such as promoting fair remuneration, increasing economic growth, and enhancing the efficiency of government spending. The AfD did not secure an outright majority in Saxony-Anhalt; Kretschmer doubts that new elections are necessary. However, his primary concern is the growing societal polarization that leads some to remain in opposition, even when they have a political mandate, while others use this polarization as an excuse not to act.",
  "summary": "ZDH-Präsident Jörg Dittrich sieht den Grund für den Erfolg der AfD in Sachsen-Anhalt bei der Bundesregierung in Berlin. Die müsse jetzt die Wirtschaftspolitik in den Mittelpunkt rücken.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}