CDU cancels presidium meeting in Saxony-Anhalt

The current low approval ratings for Friedrich Merz's federal government are also considered a background factor. Party circles are said to have feared that a presidium meeting in Saxony-Anhalt could harm the election campaign, as federal politics is currently not a tailwind issue for the state party. The meeting would thus have been both a signal and a risk.

Situation in the Polls

In current polls, the CDU in Saxony-Anhalt is significantly behind the AfD. The AfD is polling at over 40 percent, while the CDU is achieving values between 24 and 26 percent. The gap is so large that the state association wants to avoid any additional burden in the election campaign.

The AfD in Saxony-Anhalt has been classified as securely right-wing extremist by the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution since October 2023. This classification shapes the framework conditions of the election campaign in the federal state, where the CDU is under pressure with a view to the federal election.

Significance for the Election Campaign

The cancellation of the meeting means that CDU federal prominent figures will appear less frequently in public in the coming weeks before the state election in Saxony-Anhalt. Party strategist Schulze, Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt, can thus lead the election campaign more independently, without federal political issues overshadowing the reporting. The Magdeburg meeting was planned as a symbol of the federal party's attention to the East German federal state.

The cancellation was reported on June 5, 2026, on Deutschlandfunk. The state election in Saxony-Anhalt is the first major test of public mood for the CDU in the new federal states after the federal election. Should the CDU fail to close the gap with the AfD, it would also change the overall political climate in Berlin.

Observers interpret the decision as a tactical signal to their own ranks. A presidium meeting in Saxony-Anhalt could have been perceived as an entry ticket for discussions about Berlin politics given the poor federal approval ratings. Now, the CDU federal executive board will stay away from the state until the election, which could, however, also intensify accusations of distance from the region.