CDU facing the challenge: Schulze wants to win elections against AfD!

CDU facing the challenge: Schulze wants to win elections against AfD!

Something is brewing in Saxony-Anhalt! The state elections are just around the corner on September 6, 2026, and the CDU is making a lot of noise at the moment. While designated top candidate Sven Schulze made his promise to win the election in his first speech yesterday, the party is pursuing a challenging agenda. The AfD, which clearly overtakes the CDU in polls, is likely to become a stubborn opponent. A circumstance that Schulze, who has headed the CDU state association since 2021, now has to seriously deal with. taz.de reports that Schulze will be officially elected to number 1 on the list on Saturday at the state representative meeting in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben.

With 90 out of 99 votes, which corresponds to a fantastic 90.9 percent of the delegates, Schulze left no doubt that he has the support of the party. Nevertheless, his path remains rocky: 44 percent of Saxony-Anhalters had never heard of him in September 2025, which gives him a somewhat inconspicuous and colorless impression. In addition, the previous Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff is withdrawing from the front row, which represents a radical change for the CDU. Haseloff himself emphasizes that cooperation with the AfD is not an issue for him, and Schulze has also made it known that he does not want to cooperate with either the AfD or the Left Party after the election. That may attract voters, but the question remains whether it will be effective in the election.

Proportion of women and internal debates

The meeting and the process of drawing up the list have not been without criticism. Of the top 20 spots, only three appear to be reserved for women. Eva Feußner, the former education minister, has withdrawn her candidacy in protest and makes it clear that without greater consideration of women it will be difficult to win the votes of this group of voters. If the CDU wants to have a chance in Saxony-Anhalt, it must urgently rethink its relationship with women. There are also some controversies in the ranks of MPs: Markus Kurze, who resigned due to harassment allegations, is not being elected to the list, which could calm some fragmented voices from the grassroots.

The women on the list are currently not in the front row: Karin Tschernich-Weiske is in tenth place, Anja Schneider in 16th place and Elke Simon-Kuch in 19th place. Schulze will be confronted with the effects of the low female representation for a long time, as he relies on women's votes to ultimately win the election.

Political roller coaster ride and future prospects

The next few months promise to be exciting. Schulze must position the CDU as a problem solver, which is all the more important given the current surveys. Party researcher Benjamin Höhne warns that the significance of the current election for Schulze remains limited because many voters are undecided about the CDU. In addition, the CDU needs a breath of fresh air in order to be able to compete with the AfD, which is increasingly popular in the political landscape. Whether Schulze can overcome this challenge will only become clear when voters are called to the polls.

In order to understand the confusion of the political landscape in Saxony-Anhalt, a closer look at the region is necessary. Saxony-Anhalt, surrounded by federal states such as Brandenburg and Saxony, has a complex history and economic challenges. The CDU will try to set an example here too with initiatives in industry and agriculture. But how will that be received?

Overall, the path to the state elections will be characterized by uncertainty and countless questions for both Schulze and the CDU. The election could permanently change the fate of the CDU in Saxony-Anhalt.