AfD's Siegmund unveils 100-day agenda for Saxony-Anhalt after historic win
AfD's Ulrich Siegmund outlines radical first-100-day plans for Saxony-Anhalt, covering media funding, deportations, and government overhaul.
Ulrich Siegmund, the 35-year-old AfD leader poised to become the next head of Saxony-Anhalt's state parliament, has detailed an ambitious 100-day agenda following his party's historic election performance. The AfD secured nearly 44% of the vote on Sunday, falling short of an absolute majority, and now hopes to attract individual conservative lawmakers to form a governing coalition.
Siegmund's "Vision 2026" manifesto outlines ten priority actions. A central focus is dismantling the current public broadcasting system, which he criticizes as biased and oversized. His first step would be withdrawing from the interstate media agreement, paving the way to abolish the mandatory €18.36 monthly licence fee that funds channels like ARD and ZDF. He proposes replacing this with a tax-funded model.
The agenda also includes symbolic measures such as flying the German flag at public buildings and launching a "think German" campaign to foster national pride. These proposals challenge Germany's post-war political culture, which emphasizes remembrance of Nazi crimes and approaches overt nationalism cautiously.
On migration, Siegmund promises "deportations from the first minute," echoing former U.S. President Donald Trump's rhetoric. He plans to significantly expand detention capacity for those awaiting deportation. During the campaign, he clarified that gainfully employed foreigners with legal residency rights would not be affected, targeting only those without legal status. His education policy includes separate classrooms for refugee children with no prospect of staying, and his interior ministry would mandate obligatory work programs for asylum seekers across all municipalities.
In government reform, Siegmund proposes cutting taxpayer funding to political foundations, which he labels as "cronyism of the established parties." He also aims to reduce the number of ministries by merging functions and eliminating one ministry entirely, though he has not specified which. Additionally, he calls for a review of the state government's COVID-19 pandemic response, alleging undisclosed data and facts that require accountability from the previous administration.