German CDU mayor donates €10,000 to AfD and demands end to conservative firewall

Donation and call to tear down the firewall

Bernd Prange, the 59-year-old honorary mayor of the municipality of Altmärkische Höhe in northern Saxony-Anhalt, announced a personal donation of 10,000 euros to the Alternative for Germany (AfD). In an open letter distributed ahead of the state election, the long-standing Christian Democratic Union (CDU) member and transport entrepreneur stated that his own party had moved too far to the left. Prange called for the CDU to dismantle its political firewall against cooperation with the AfD and announced his intention to vote for the rival party on election day. He also expressed hope for an outright AfD majority in the state parliament to force a conservative realignment. Speaking to Focus, the local politician confirmed that he intentionally sought expulsion from the Christian Democrats.

I want them to kick me out.

Reactions across the CDU and expulsion proceedings

The announcement drew immediate condemnation from senior CDU officials at the state level. Saxony-Anhalt Premier Sven Schulze rejected the mayor's endorsement during an interview on the Berlin Playbook podcast, while indicating that any disciplinary measures would wait until voting concluded.

I don't like it. I can say that very clearly.

Schulze added that he considers Prange's stance wrong and does not share his positions. Saxony-Anhalt CDU General Secretary Mario Karschunke described the financial donation as a potentially serious violation of party statutes, noting that the CDU district executive board in Stendal would deliberate on formal party expulsion proceedings. Ulrich Thomas, a CDU member of the Magdeburg state parliament, offered sharper language, describing the mayor's conduct as simply despicable.

Federal political fallout and SPD response

Prange's public defection also triggered sharp reactions beyond state borders and across party lines in Berlin. In his open letter, Prange called for the removal of Chancellor Friedrich Merz from the federal CDU leadership, accusing him of abandoning the conservative foundations of the Union. Leaders of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), including federal co-leader and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, monitored the situation closely. Dirk Wiese, parliamentary managing director of the SPD Bundestag group, stressed that the incident carried national weight.

If a CDU official donates 10,000 euros to the AfD and demands the abandonment of the firewall, that is not an insignificant local incident.

The controversy follows a turbulent period for the federal CDU, which previously saw the forced departure of parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn.

State election landscape in Saxony-Anhalt

The rift emerged as campaigning entered its final phase before the Saxony-Anhalt state election on 6 September 2026. State polling places the AfD between 41% and 43%, while the CDU polls between 22% and 24%. AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund leads the race, leaving Schulze seeking a broad alliance with smaller parties such as the SPD, the Greens, and the FDP to prevent a far-right majority government. The state contest opens an election series in eastern Germany, followed by elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on 20 September 2026.