The Left in the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament on 10 November 2026 named its parliamentary group leader Eva von Angern as its candidate for the minister-president vote She will therefore run against Ulrich Siegmund from AfD whom the AfD parliamentary group intends to put forward at the December session in Magdeburg The party and the Left parliamentary group confirmed the nomination independently of one another.
The Left says it is nominating her to offer a clear alternative to the AfD in parliament. According to the party, the priorities von Angern will champion in the vote are social security, social cohesion and strengthening the provision of essential local services. Decisions by the state executive committee and statements from the parliamentary group dated 9 and 10 November 2026 document the decision.
The prospects of success depend largely on majorities in the state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt. Von Angern needs votes beyond her own parliamentary group to be elected minister-president. Without the support of several other groups, her chances are considered limited. The AfD emerged as the strongest force in the state election on 6 September 2026; Ulrich Siegmund had already announced in September that he intended to seek the office.
The AfD’s announcement that it would put Siegmund forward for election at the December session provided the immediate impetus for the Left’s decision. By fielding its own candidate, the party says it intends to organise parliamentary opposition while also putting its policy positions in the spotlight in the state parliament. This does not imply any prior decision on coalitions or formal alliances; majorities will be determined in the plenary session.
The formal sequence is now clear: state election on 6 September 2026, Eva von Angern’s nomination on 10 November 2026, and a vote in December 2026 in the state parliament in Magdeburg. The specific procedure and the formation of a majority have been reported on, among others, by MDR and Tagesschau citing confirmation from the parliamentary groups involved. The outcome of the minister-president vote remains uncertain.
Regardless of the outcome, the Left’s nomination marks a clear position in the contest for the office. It offers a candidate and policy alternative to Ulrich Siegmund and forces the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament to make a decision that goes beyond a simple vote for or against the AfD.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).