In brief
BSW will neither vote for the CDU incumbent nor for the AfD candidate in any round.
In the third ballot, a simple majority of votes cast could give the AfD victory if BSW abstains and clears the 5% hurdle.
BSW is at 4% and may not enter parliament; AfD polls at 41–42% but needs other parties to miss the threshold.
Wagenknecht proposes a non-partisan premier chosen by cross-party agreement, but other parties have not endorsed the idea.
Wagenknecht says her party’s aim is to end CDU rule in Saxony-Anhalt and potentially bring down the Merz government nationally.
The announcement
Sahra Wagenknecht, founder of the left-conservative Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), said her party would abstain in all three rounds of voting for Saxony-Anhalt’s next minister-president, refusing to support either the incumbent CDU premier or an AfD candidate. She added that abstention was the default if other parties rejected her proposal for a non-partisan figure.
“If the other parties reject our proposal, we will neither vote for the incumbent CDU minister-president nor the AfD candidate, but will abstain.”
How the mechanism works
In the third ballot, a simple majority of votes cast is enough to win. If the BSW enters the state parliament and abstains, it could lower the threshold for the AfD, which is polling at 41 to 42 percent. The AfD would need only a majority among remaining votes, which could be within reach.
“Our electoral goal is to vote out the CDU, also because that could end the Merz government.”
Uncertainties
The BSW itself is polling at just 4 percent, leaving its entry into the Magdeburg Landtag uncertain. It is also unclear whether the AfD can maintain or expand its current poll numbers, and which other parties will clear the 5 percent hurdle.
Wagenknecht’s “Magdeburg model”
Wagenknecht instead promotes a cross-party consensus on an independent, non-partisan premier who would govern with changing majorities. She argues that naming candidates now would damage potential figures. She has voiced similar ideas for Thuringia, where the BSW currently governs in a coalition with CDU and SPD, but faces resistance from local party leaders.
Reaction so far
Other parties have not signaled support for the proposal. Without a deal, the BSW’s abstention plan remains the default, raising the prospect that the AfD could claim the premier’s office for the first time in a German state.