Saxony-Anhalt election: CDU debates cooperation with AfD and Left

In the run-up to the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, scheduled for 2026, the CDU is publicly debating whether it could cooperate with the far-right AfD or the Left party to form a government. Several CDU politicians have made headlines by questioning the party's so-called firewall against the AfD, with one calling it "crazy" and another warning that working with the AfD would destroy the CDU. Meanwhile, a CDU politician, Sepp Müller, has suggested that if the AfD wins the election, its top candidate Ulrich Siegmund could receive a mandate to form a government, even without a majority. The AfD itself has announced it wants to abolish the constitutional right to asylum, raising questions about what it could actually do if it gained power. The debate comes amid broader discussions about the future of the CDU under party leader Friedrich Merz and its stance toward other parties after the next federal election.