Following the election in Saxony-Anhalt, the SPD has made a surprise move to explore a possible government formation without the AfD. In a letter signed by SPD state leaders Juliane Kleemann and Andreas Schmidt, which was seen by the news agency AFP on Thursday, the party invited representatives of the CDU, Greens, Left Party and BSW to talks in Magdeburg next Tuesday.
Referring to the outcome of the state election on September 6, which the AfD won by a wide margin, the SPD said the other parties had a responsibility to “seriously explore the existing possibilities for forming a stable and effective government,” according to the letter.
The Social Democrats therefore want to discuss with representatives of the other parties, excluding the AfD, whether a non-partisan state premier could “offer a perspective for forming a stable state government.” The SPD said it did not want to accept that an AfD-led government was the only possible option.
The Greens and Left Party have agreed to attend the talks, according to an SPD spokesperson. The CDU, which explicitly said after its heavy election defeat that it intended to remain in opposition, declined the invitation.
The BSW, meanwhile, will take part in the meeting, according to a party spokesperson. However, parliamentary group leader Thomas Schulze criticised the fact that the AfD, as the strongest parliamentary group, had not been invited. The BSW spokesperson warned in response to the SPD proposal that this must not lead to a “Firewall 2.0” and result in the AfD being excluded in this way.
The proposal for a non-partisan state premier originated with the BSW, which had favoured such a government model from the outset. Under the BSW’s proposal, an independent candidate who does not belong to a political party would work with changing majorities in the state parliament, including majorities involving the AfD. The SPD, however, reiterated that a government dependent on the AfD or on changing majorities with the AfD was “not an option.”
The formation of a government is currently proving difficult because, despite its decisive election victory, the AfD failed to secure an absolute majority.The party has 39 seats in the new state parliament, leaving it three seats short of a majority.
The CDU, SPD, Greens and Left Party also hold a combined 39 seats and have ruled out any cooperation with the AfD. All of these parties rejected the AfD’s offer to hold exploratory talks, with the exception of the BSW. The BSW has five members in the state parliament.
AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund is currently holding talks with the BSW in an effort to secure a “stable majority.” Whether an AfD minority government could ultimately emerge remains open. The AfD had originally entered the election with the goal of governing with an outright majority.
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