AfD party could take power in a German state for the first time, chairman Ulrich Siegmund reveals plans

2026-05-26 18:52:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

AfD party could take power in a German state for the first time, chairman Ulrich

Ulrich Siegmund, leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the upcoming elections in Saxony-Anhalt, told DW that he wants to create a "domino effect" with a "historic" victory for this party.

According to polls, the AfD, which has declared itself the far-right party in Saxony-Anhalt, could win the state elections in September. According to current polls, it could even form a government in the state on its own.

"Here in Saxony-Anhalt, there is real optimism. It's a wonderful feeling. We want nothing less than to make history. Here in Saxony-Anhalt, we will form the first AfD-led government in all of Germany," Siegmund, 35, told DW in an interview at the state parliament in Magdeburg, the capital of Saxony-Anhalt.

The AfD branch there is one of the most controversial in Germany. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution has declared the regional AfD branch "right-wing extremist." The office claims that the party promotes the concept of race-based citizenship, which is against the German constitution. Siegmund dismisses this classification as politically motivated.

However, political opponents and police chiefs warn that an AfD government would pose a risk to national security, including the sharing of confidential information. Siegmund insists that the AfD is "committed to the rule of law".

But many political scientists are skeptical: "I assume that the AfD would further strengthen and professionalize its radicalism in government," Matthias Quent of the Institute for Democratic Culture at the University of Magdeburg-Stendal told DW.

"Especially in Saxony-Anhalt, which has one of the most extreme right-wing branches of the AfD. There are no forces there that would like a different course," he adds.

Behind the scenes, preparations are underway to begin searching for potential candidates to fill key roles in the new administration. Siegmund said the hiring would be conducted in accordance with civil service rules and that he would not conduct an "ideological check" on candidates affiliated with the far-right Identitarian Movement.

"For me, the focus is on the individual and we are examining him closely. If he meets the criteria for the position in question, I will not subject him to ideological scrutiny, but will respect him, his qualifications and the applicable legal framework," he said.

If the far-right AfD party were to take power in Saxony-Anhalt after the September elections, Siegmund estimates that up to 200 positions in ministries and state agencies would need to be filled.

Asked whether he would adhere to the AfD's own rules, which prohibit party members from joining certain organizations, including extremist groups, Siegmund distinguished between party membership and state appointments.

He said: “You are talking about a political party. We are talking about a state government. There are no political guidelines when appointing, for example, a department head - there is a legal framework and of course we always adhere to that. What you mean is political cooperation or party membership.”

However, sociologist Matthias Quent expects that if the AfD comes to power, it will try to install its extremist supporters in the civil service.

Siegmund, a former trader whose TikTok profile is among the most popular political profiles in the country, also emphasized his intention to address law enforcement agencies: "In fact, we want to put the apparatus back on the path of success, depoliticize it and make it neutral again - above all, to serve the interests of the country."

Georg Maier, the interior minister of neighboring Thuringia, called for this to be discussed at the next meeting of the state interior ministers in June. Maier told DW: "We see that the AfD's strategy is to undermine our liberal democracy from within and destroy it, piece by piece."

The AfD has promised to be stricter with rejected asylum seekers or migrants whose visas have expired. In contrast to current legislation, the AfD wants all people awaiting deportation to be detained by the authorities. "Under our government, people who have to leave the country should of course be detained until deportation," Siegmund said.

He wants to set up a deportation working group to implement the new rules. According to the Saxony-Anhalt Interior Ministry, there are just under 5,000 people in the state who need to leave the country.

Siegmund wants fundamental changes to the education system, from the return of homeschooling to separate classes for refugee children. In Germany, education is the responsibility of the states. "We will de-ideologize the curricula. That means that everything that has been ideologically introduced here in recent years will be removed," he says.

The AfD has strongly supported the removal of diversity education, LGBTQ+ awareness, and anti-racism seminars from public education.

Although foreign policy is the responsibility of the federal government, Siegmund has called for the lifting of sanctions against Russia. If elected, he has promised to restore Russian language courses and wants Russian students to return to the state as part of a school exchange program. The small state of Saxony-Anhalt was part of East Germany, or GDR, which had close ties to the Soviet Union.

"Why should we now simply steer culture in a different direction? We don't think that's a good idea," says Siegmund.

Earlier this year, Siegmund came under pressure over allegations of nepotism. It was revealed that a number of AfD members in the state parliament had secured well-paid jobs for family members of their colleagues.

Siegmund himself also made headlines for attending a networking event for far-right figures in 2023. Media reports of this meeting later sparked the largest civil society protests in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany. At this so-called "Potsdam meeting," Austrian ethno-nationalist Martin Sellner presented his master plan for "remigration." The plan includes the deportation of asylum seekers, foreigners with a right of residence, and "unassimilated citizens."

Despite the scandals, support for the AfD in opinion polls has continued to rise. If the polls are accurate, September's election could end more than two decades of conservative rule and mark a breakthrough for the AfD, which was founded as an anti-euro party in 2013 and took up the anti-immigration cause in 2015.

Despite the pressure to produce results, Siegmund believes that an AfD victory would be a springboard for other AfD branches.

"This would send a signal that political change is finally happening, that we are implementing policies again that are tailored for our country. And this, of course, would have a domino effect," Siegmund said.

The elections in Saxony-Anhalt will be held on September 6, when just under 1.8 million people will vote. The population in this state is shrinking and aging faster than other regions./DW