•••

Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, has expressed his relief over the outcome of the elections in the German state of Saxonia-Anhalt. But Schuster also warns to be too casual about the results.

The President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany has expressed his relief that a state government in Saxony-Anhalt can be formed without the AfD. »The first projections of the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt send out a ray of hope - It is a victory for democracy. The future state government can definitely be formed without the AfD«, the President of the Central Council of Jews emphasized.

result Schuster warned though, that no one should take the AfD’s result lightly. »More than one in five voters have casted their ballots for a party that is extreme right-wing.«

»Civil society initiatives that work against right-wing extremism must now be strengthened.«

Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany

Schuster stressed that regional politics should therefore do everything in the next five years to win back AfD voters for democratic values and to strengthen civil society initiatives that are committed to right-wing extremism. »The goal is clear - we must eventually ban the AfD from the parliaments again«, Schuster said.

Force Sunday’s election in Saxony-Anhalt turned out to be a great triumph for Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff: The conservative party CDU won the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt by a superior margin. The AfD asserted itself as the second strongest force on Sunday despite slight losses. The Greens could not benefit from the federal trend three and a half months before the general election, they only gained slightly. The SPD and the left slipped to new record lows. The FDP returns to the state parliament after ten years.

Haseloff could now again form a so-called Kenya coalition, referring to the party colors black-red-green, but also a so-called Germany coalition made up of the CDU, SPD and FDP or a Jamaica alliance consisting of the CDU, the Green party and the FDP. A black-red two-party alliance might also be possible, but only by a small margin.

Haseloff, who is now heading for his third term, did not reveal any preferences that evening. The decisive factor should be what is good for the country: »We are not well advised to allow ourselves to be instrumentalized in any way, by federal issues or a federal election«, he said. ja/dpa