Saxony's AfD gears up for state elections - CDU and Kretschmer in its sights

Saxony's AfD is gearing up for the state elections in September and is targeting the CDU and Minister President Michael Kretschmer in particular. After the squabbles over the list for the 2019 election, this time it does not want to offer a target on this point and will elect up to 75 candidates at the state party conference in Glauchau (Zwickau district) by Sunday. However, the most promising places are occupied by men. Only in 20th place is there a woman, state parliament member Martina Jost. "I am a real woman and a right-wing woman," she said in her candidacy speech. Jörg Urban was chosen as the top candidate.

While Urban had already criticized high electricity prices, low pensions and low economic growth on Thursday evening, the candidates mainly ranted about "gender madness", public broadcasting including satirist Jan Böhmermann and migration in their introductory speeches. Some speakers announced a coronavirus investigation committee for the next legislative period.

Urban invokes a "blue turnaround"

With a view to the election on 1 September, Urban invoked a "blue turnaround", drawing a parallel to the Peaceful Revolution of 1989. The term "turnaround" was once coined by SED party leader Egon Krenz. Urban emphasized that the aim was for no one to be able to get past the AfD in the future and for it to lead the new government: "The CDU is the main cause of all the problems our country has." It would therefore be best for the country if it had to take a seat on the opposition bench in future, said Urban.

The 59-year-old did not say with whom the AfD wants to govern in future. His state association is classified by the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution as a "confirmed right-wing extremist movement". In the vote, he received around 92% of the valid votes without an opposing candidate. He therefore performed better than in 2019 (85.4%). Back then, he had already led the AfD into the state election campaign. With 27.5%, it came second behind the CDU (32.1%). Most recently, it was ahead of the Christian Democrats in most polls.

Secretary General Jan Zwerg and State Vice-President Joachim Keiler had already been elected to second and third place on Thursday evening. On Friday morning, the list continued from eleventh place onwards. Only a few of the candidates were running against each other. A new state parliament will be elected in Saxony on September 1.

Anti-AfD protest on Saturday

There had been disputes about the AfD list in the 2019 state election. In the run-up to the election, the state election committee had decided to shorten the state list, citing formal shortcomings. It therefore only admitted 18 of the 61 AfD candidates. The AfD saw this as a political maneuver. The Leipzig Constitutional Court later ruled that the AfD could run with 30 list candidates. Despite winning many direct mandates, it was only able to take 38 of the 39 state parliamentary seats to which it was entitled.

On Saturday afternoon, the 300 or so delegates at their conference venue, the Sachsenlandhalle in Glauchau, can expect counter-protests. Several initiatives have called for a demonstration against the AfD and its party conference under the title "Gegenhalten". According to the Zwickau district office as the assembly authority, up to 500 participants are expected.