AfD Outlines Governance Plans Ahead of Saxony Anhalt Elections

The right wing populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD) is positioned for a potential victory in the Saxony Anhalt state elections on September 6. Led by candidate Ulrich Siegmund, the party aims to become the first nationalist right wing leader of a German state since World War II. The party has released a 258 page government program that outlines a vision for a new type of state intended to serve as a model for the rest of Germany. This program includes proposals to abolish the right to asylum and restore relations with Russia, although some of these goals fall outside state jurisdiction. In education, the AfD proposes removing children with disabilities and children of refugees from regular classrooms, increasing Russian language instruction, and ending compulsory school attendance to allow for homeschooling. The party also seeks to rewrite curricula to emphasize German historical achievements and reduce what it describes as radical activism. Regarding higher education, the AfD intends to restructure university governance and create an institute for critical Islamic studies. Additionally, the party plans to replace the public broadcaster with a neutral alternative. While center right framing describes the party as a movement defending freedom of opinion, it also notes that some of the proposals lack budgets or may violate international law and constitutional protections for academic freedom.