(Adnkronos) – After chairing his last government meeting, the 733rd, the Christian Democrat Reiner Haseloff, Germany’s longest-serving regional premier, who has headed the government of the state of Saxony-Anhalt since 2011, today left his post. This is to best prepare his party for the September 6 vote, making way in good time for his successor and former Minister of Economy, Sven Schulze, who will present himself tomorrow in the parliament in Magdeburg, in the part of Germany long included in the GDR, to be confirmed in office.
Schulze will thus be put in a position to face the election campaign for the renewal of the regional parliament – from the last elections, a Black-Red-Yellow local executive, CDU, SPD, FDP, emerged – no longer as a candidate for premier but as the incumbent premier. A stronger position, necessary to counter the advance of the AfD, the party whose regional section is monitored by intelligence as a ‘confirmed’ far-right organization. Alternative for Germany gathers particularly high consensus in the eastern regions of the country, and the last poll conducted in October assigned the party about 40% of the votes. (continues)
In 2024, for the first time, the AfD won the regional elections in a Land, that of Thuringia, former East Germany, but could not form a government because the other parties refused any form of collaboration. In his last government meeting – reports ‘Wirtschaftswoche’ – the 71-year-old Haseloff thanked the ministers and the coalition parliamentary groups CDU, SPD, and FDP for their cooperation. He also appealed to them to take care of each other and to cultivate a culture “that also encourages others to love politics, so that we never lack young talents.”
A greeting to Haseloff came from his party colleague and Premier of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer: “I have always appreciated the pragmatism and great experience of my colleague Reiner Haseloff. He pushes things forward with courage, strength, and determination, without losing sight of the big picture,” said Kretschmer. “At the same time, he fights for the interests of East Germany and the people of his federal state with particular clarity and passion.”
