AfD victory in Saxony-Anhalt — only BSW accepts invitation to talks
AfD took 43.8% on Sept 6; CDU, SPD, Greens and The Left reject exploratory talks while BSW says it will consider them.
September 9, 2026 — After AfD's decisive victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, all parliamentary parties except the newly represented BSW rejected the winner's invitation to exploratory talks.
AfD captured 43.8 percent of the vote on Sunday, September 6, narrowly falling short of an absolute majority. Its top candidate, Ulrich Sigmund, said the result gives his party the right to try to form a government. "We have a mandate to govern," he declared.
BSW open to discussions, others refuse
The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) told AfD it will consider the invitation. Thomas Schulze, leader of BSW's state branch in Magdeburg, said the party's provincial leadership will discuss the offer on September 9. "For us it continues to apply what we said during the election campaign: in principle we are prepared to talk to all parties (...) We consider that other parties rejecting the conversation in advance represents a bad political approach and is not a good sign for the democratic culture in our country," he said.
By contrast, the CDU, SPD, the Greens and The Left publicly refused AfD's proposal. The Greens' state chair, Susan Schibora-Zajdlic, called it "absurd to assume that we would hold talks with the right-wing extremist AfD about the future of our state." The SPD said there is simply "no basis for political cooperation," while The Left responded that "The Left has no basis for talks with a party that sorts people by origin, perceived belonging and belief."
State authorities have assessed AfD in Saxony-Anhalt as a proven right-wing extremist organisation. The contest left AfD with by far the largest share of seats in the Landtag, but uncertainty remains about whether Ulrich Sigmund can secure a stable majority to become minister-president. AfD invited all parties represented in the new Landtag to "quick exploratory talks," writing that the campaign had been "fierce" and that the time has come "to put in the foreground what unites us and the common content."
The outcome leaves open scenarios ranging from a minority AfD government tolerated by BSW to continued opposition by the other mainstream parties. For now, only BSW has not categorically shut the door to further contact.
Photo: press material from the event
