Saxony-Anhalt: CDU leader calls for retention of Eastern Commissioner

Sven Schulze is the CDU leader in Saxony-Anhalt and the state's Minister for Economic Affairs. The 45-year-old is in pole position to be his party's top candidate in the 2026 state election, should incumbent Reiner Haseloff not run again. The AfD has just become the strongest force in the federal election in the state, and polls suggest a neck-and-neck race for 2026.

Mr Schulze, the Union won the federal election, but did not win any direct mandates in the East. Is the AfD now the people's party in the East German states?

We must say clearly: The federal election was a defeat for the CDU in the East. We are the only people's party in Germany that unites people and does not divide them. The AfD won the constituencies, but we are in government and will now prove ourselves at the federal level.

What shortcomings do you see on the part of the Union?

The three years of traffic light coalition were too short to show voters that we as the Union have learned from our mistakes, for example in migration policy. Many people in East Germany still do not believe that we are serious about limiting illegal migration.

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Did the Union's focus on the issue of migration in the last weeks of the election campaign cause damage?

After the terrible events in Magdeburg, Aschaffenburg and Munich, migration is the number one issue for people. We need to talk about it. In East Germany, the feedback was consistently positive that we submitted motions and a draft law to the Bundestag for a vote. This strengthened credibility.

This is not reflected in the election results as you describe it. On the contrary: one could argue that the Union lost voters to the AfD because of the votes.

I don't think it did any harm. The Union might have fared worse if we hadn't submitted the motions.

Do you assume that the current developments are harbingers for West Germany?

We have to look very closely at the results in the West. As the Union, we are now required to analyse who came in second and third place in the West German constituencies that we won. Often that is the AfD. What counts now is to show, in alliance with the SPD, that we can solve the problems in the country. Otherwise, we will soon have results in West Germany like in the East. We have to prevent that - and we will. Just as we will win constituencies in the East again.

Saxony-Anhalt will vote in 2026. How do you plan to prevent the AfD from winning the election – and what kind of support do you want from a CDU-led federal government?

Federal and state election results cannot be compared one-to-one. There is a lot of overlap between the SPD and the CDU. We are challenged on the key issues - migration and economic policy. Trust in politics is also very important: it can no longer be the case that decisions are regularly made in Berlin that no one outside of Berlin understands and that affect people's lives. The Heating Act was the best example of this.

Does the next federal government need a Commissioner for Eastern Europe again?

Yes, I think that makes sense. For example, when visiting companies, it is very important if a representative for Eastern Germany who is based in the Federal Chancellery is present. Twelve million people entitled to vote live in East Germany. In addition to issues that directly affect East Germany, we need enough East Germans in the cabinet about whom people can say: we identify with him or her. And by that, I don't mean anyone who only lives in East Germany.

Can you guarantee that the firewall against the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt will hold?

Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff and I as party leader have made our position clear. There will be no cooperation with the AfD!

The state finances are strained. CDU leader Merz had been open to a reform of the debt brake or another special fund with the old majorities in the Bundestag. He has now ruled out the former. What is your view on the issue?

What would be important to me is that the same rules on the debt brake apply to the federal states as to the federal government. In contrast to the federal government, our corset in the states leaves little room for maneuver. A reform of the debt brake, if one really wants it, would be better now than in the future, because then the AfD and the Left will have a blocking minority in the Bundestag. Investment measures should be financed with it, but not consumption measures. I am thinking of a large investment program for infrastructure, including roads, the rail network and schools. For Saxony-Anhalt, as for many other federal states, it is hardly possible to draw up a state budget, even though many austerity measures have already been exhausted. The states therefore need more breathing room. It would also be a signal to the population that investments are moving forward again. On the other hand, I categorically reject new debt just for consumption measures.