CDU Local Politician Donates 10,000 Euros to AfD Ahead of Sachsen-Anhalt Election

Bernd Prange, a CDU local politician and mayor of Altmärkische Höhe in the Stendal district, has donated 10,000 euros to the AfD party. The donation consisted of two tranches of 5,000 euros each. In an open letter, Prange stated that he will vote for the AfD in the upcoming state election on September 6 and encouraged other conservatives to do the same. He expressed deep concern for the country and argued that the CDU has moved too far to the left, abandoning conservative values such as national sovereignty, security, and cultural identity. Prange also called for the removal of CDU federal chairman Friedrich Merz, describing him as a symbol of a leadership that has given up the conservative core of the party.

CDU General Secretary Mario Karschunke described the donation as a very serious party law matter and stated that the district board will examine the situation. Karschunke noted that no one is forced to remain a member of the party if they no longer share its political convictions. Prange told media outlets that he wants the party to expel him, stating that the CDU is no longer his home or future. Additionally, SPD parliamentary manager Dirk Wiese called for swift consequences, arguing that such financial support for the AfD leaves the democratic center and normalizes a party that the constitutional protection agency has classified as right wing extremist.

The AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund welcomed the donation as an important sign that the CDU must end its alleged leftward course. Current polls indicate that the AfD is leading the CDU by double digits in Sachsen-Anhalt, with some reports placing the party above 40 percent.