AfD at 40% in Saxony-Anhalt debate as von Angern refuses Siegmund's handshake, BSW hovers as kingmaker

Seven candidates, one stage

Seven lead candidates faced questions from 50 audience members in MDR's live broadcast "Fakt ist! Wahlarena" on the evening of August 12, 2026, less than four weeks before the Saxony-Anhalt state election on September 6. The AfD leads polls at over 40 percent, with the CDU at roughly 20 percent and the Left at 13 percent, according to figures cited by Focus. The Greens risk falling below the 5 percent threshold. Questions from citizens ranged from education and gas supply to migration and war, but the dominant themes were the state of democracy, social division, and the AfD's future role.

The firewall under pressure

A man named Silvio from the audience told CDU Minister-President Sven Schulze he considered the AfD part of the "bourgeois centre" and asked what purpose the firewall served. Schulze said he does not use the term "Brandmauer" but stated he has no intention of cooperating with the AfD, while emphasising he welcomes conversations with AfD voters and shares "many commonalities" with them. A retiree in a blue shirt accused CDU and SPD of "trampling democracy" by excluding more than 40 percent of voters, saying both parties were no longer electable for him. SPD lead candidate Armin Willingmann, currently environment minister and deputy minister-president, countered.

The question of dealing with the AfD is a question of attitude.

A handshake refused

The evening's most personal confrontation came between AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund and Left Party candidate Eva von Angern. Siegmund repeatedly offered his hand, saying he wanted to "fill in the trenches" in the country and that the door was open and the hand extended. Von Angern declined.

You don't need to shake my hand.

She accused Siegmund of stirring hatred against queer people. When Siegmund said she would probably not even have coffee with him, she asked why she should. Von Angern also warned against falling for the AfD's "victim myth," saying she encounters much fear at campaign stands. Siegmund countered that he experiences "a lot of positive momentum."

A Syrian-born audience member, Aras Bader, who said he was born and raised in a dictatorship, confronted Siegmund directly about AfD plans including "remigration."

Do you really want to abolish democracy here in Saxony-Anhalt and in Germany and build a dictatorship here?

Siegmund dismissed the question as "nonsense" and "prejudice."

BSW's calculated position

BSW lead candidate Claudia Wittig criticised Siegmund's aim of governing alone with "45 percent plus X." BSW founder Sahra Wagenknecht proposed a non-partisan minister-president with a competence cabinet, with shifting majorities for individual projects. She announced in Bild that the BSW would abstain in a third round of voting for minister-president if other parties reject her proposal. Under the state constitution, a third round requires only a majority of votes cast, meaning abstentions can lower the threshold and potentially allow an AfD candidate to be elected.

Siegmund rejected the BSW offer, telling Welt that governing without a majority would not guarantee a stable government, especially as the first AfD-led government. Wittig told the Berliner Zeitung that Siegmund should recognise that "trees don't grow into the sky for him either" and that the firewall has failed, a lesson the AfD must also learn.

Education and everyday concerns

A teacher from Wernigerode asked Siegmund how the AfD's plan to abolish compulsory schooling and replace it with an education requirement would preserve equal opportunity. Siegmund said home learning could help children experiencing severe bullying, noting it would affect only about 30 cases. Other topics included gas supply and the cost of living, with one retiree named Anne saying she no longer goes out in the evening due to migrants and that "we live in parallel societies."