CDU Saxony-Anhalt in turmoil as lawmakers were asked to swear they did not vote for AfD candidates
The CDU parliamentary group in Saxony-Anhalt is in turmoil after lawmakers were reportedly asked to sign sworn affidavits declaring they had not voted for AfD politicians Tobias Rausch and Hans-Thomas Tillschneider in the state parliament presidium elections. Rausch received 48 votes, four more than the AfD and BSW hold together, fueling speculation about CDU support, which the faction denies. Group leader and acting Minister-President Sven Schulze denies presenting the document; critics including former CDU lawmaker Alexander Räuscher and the BSW demand his resignation, and an AfD MP filed a coercion complaint.
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CDU Saxony-Anhalt Fraktion Chief Schulze Under Pressure Over Controversial Affidavit
The CDU parliamentary group in Saxony-Anhalt is embroiled in a dispute over a controversial affidavit drafted after secret votes that elected two AfD politicians to the state parliament presidium. Group leader and acting Minister-President Sven Schulze denied initiating the document but said he would have signed it if the group had approved. Several MPs contradict his claim of neutrality, saying he signed the text without hesitation. The paper, introduced by economic policy spokesman Ulrich Thomas, required 15 CDU MPs to swear they had made no binding agreements with AfD representatives and had not voted for Tobias Rausch as president or Hans-Thomas Tillschneider as vice-president, with a mandate-resignation clause for false statements. The document was ultimately withdrawn. Former CDU MP Wolfgang Bosbach called for it to be shredded, and Landtag President Rausch is examining possible criminal liability for attempted coercion. The dispute intensifies tensions in the faction, where Schulze narrowly won the leadership vote 8-7 over Guido Heuer, and some CDU politicians are demanding his resignation.
CDU Saxony-Anhalt in Turmoil Over Sworn Statements on AfD Votes
A dispute over sworn affidavits has deepened divisions within the CDU parliamentary group in Saxony-Anhalt. CDU lawmakers were reportedly asked to sign sworn statements declaring they had not voted for AfD politicians Tobias Rausch and Hans-Thomas Tillschneider in the Landtag presidential elections. Former CDU lawmaker Alexander Räuscher called for the resignation of faction leader and acting Minister-President Sven Schulze, saying such a demand shows an absurd understanding of democracy. The BSW faction also urged Schulze to resign, and AfD Bundestag member Malte Kaufmann filed a criminal complaint accusing Schulze of coercion. Schulze denied presenting the affidavit, saying the proposal came from within the faction and was discussed and rejected. The AfD's Rausch and Tillschneider won with more votes than the AfD holds seats, prompting speculation about support from other parties, which the CDU has consistently denied. A separate dispute concerns the CDU faction's plan to leave the chamber during the first two rounds of the December Minister-President election.
Read sourceCDU in Saxony-Anhalt in dispute over sworn statement on AfD vote
The CDU parliamentary group in Saxony-Anhalt is embroiled in internal conflict after members were asked to sign a sworn statement declaring they did not vote for AfD politician Tobias Rausch as state parliament president or his party colleague Hans-Thomas Tillschneider as vice president. Both AfD candidates received more votes in early October than the AfD holds seats in the new state parliament, prompting speculation that CDU lawmakers may have backed them, which the faction has consistently denied. CDU state and faction leader Sven Schulze denied that he or the executive faction board presented the statement, saying the proposal came from within the faction, was discussed, and was rejected. Former CDU lawmaker Alexander Räuscher and the BSW faction leader Thomas Schulze called for Schulze's resignation, criticizing the demand for such a declaration as undermining democratic principles and lawmakers' rights. Rausch is the first AfD state parliament president in a German parliament.
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CDU Lawmaker Demands Sven Schulze Resign Over Sworn Affidavit in Saxony-Anhalt
Former CDU state lawmaker Alexander Räuscher has called for the resignation of Sven Schulze, the acting premier of Saxony-Anhalt and CDU parliamentary group leader, after reports that CDU lawmakers were asked to sign a sworn affidavit denying they voted for AfD candidates in the state parliament. The affidavit concerned the elections of AfD politician Tobias Rausch as state parliament president and Hans-Thomas Tillschneider as vice president. Rausch received four more votes than the AfD and BSW hold together, prompting speculation that CDU members may have backed him, which the faction has denied. Schulze denied authorship of the affidavit, saying it came neither from him nor from the faction leadership. Räuscher criticized the affidavit as an absurd understanding of democracy and called for a personnel reset at the top. The CDU faction has also agreed to leave the chamber during the first two rounds of the upcoming December premier election, a plan facing growing internal resistance.
Read sourceCDU lawmakers in Saxony-Anhalt asked to sign affidavits denying AfD votes
CDU lawmakers in the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament were reportedly asked to sign sworn affidavits stating they did not vote for AfD candidates Tobias Rausch for parliamentary president or Hans-Thomas Tillschneider for vice president, according to multiple CDU lawmakers confirmed to dpa and first reported by Nius. Rausch received four more votes than the AfD and BSW combined hold, and Tillschneider's election was surprising, prompting speculation that CDU members may have backed them—a claim the faction has consistently denied. CDU faction leader Sven Schulze sharply denied the Nius report, saying "No. That is not true." Rausch is the first AfD parliamentary president in a German parliament. Separately, the CDU faction has agreed to leave the chamber during the first two rounds of the December minister-president election, a plan facing growing internal criticism, including from former interior minister Holger Stahlknecht, who warned about the precedent of boycotting votes.