What an AfD-Led State Government Would Mean for Saxony-Anhalt and Germany
Potential Policy Changes Under an AfD-Led Government
BERLIN, Sept 3 (Reuters) - The Alternative for Germany (AfD) under lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund is vying to win power for the first time in closely watched elections in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday.
Under Germany's federal system, state governments sit in the upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, and also have wide powers in education, domestic security and culture.
The party has laid out its plans in its "Vision 2026" election manifesto.
Immigration Policies
IMMIGRATION
Deportation Initiatives
Based on the manifesto, an AfD-led Saxony-Anhalt would launch a state-level deportation offensive and establish a task force to coordinate quicker deportations, in echoes of the United States' efforts to crack down on migration.
Labour Market and Migration
The party said it would encourage small- and medium-sized businesses to adopt artificial intelligence and digitalise their processes through incentives rather than turn to skilled migrant workers from what it called "culturally alien" backgrounds.
Refugee Status and Foreign Policy
The AfD, which seeks closer ties to Russia, would also advocate for removing war refugee status for Ukrainians in Germany as long as the conflict remains concentrated in eastern Ukraine, arguing they should seek refuge in western Ukraine.
Schools, Religion, and Culture
SCHOOLS, RELIGION AND CULTURE
Education Reforms
Refugee and Disabled Children
Under the AfD, the children of refugees would be placed in separate classes to convey the message that "their stay in Germany is merely temporary" and prevent "various stresses" on the other children from being around different cultures.
Children with disabilities would also no longer be taught in the same classroom as those without, instead being sent to special schools.
School Symbolism and Curriculum
Schools would be banned from flying rainbow flags, with the German national flag raised daily instead. The national anthem should be sung by students and staff at school celebrations.
Religious Expression
The government would also "exhaust all legal avenues" to limit Islamic expression, including banning the call to prayer and stipulating how mosques are decorated.
Patriotic Cultural Policy
It would make major changes to the school curriculum with a "patriotic cultural policy", focusing more closely on medieval rulers and 19th-century giants of German history such as the "Iron Chancellor", Otto von Bismarck. Social and psychological support and integration measures would be scrapped.
Media and Cultural Institutions
It has also pledged to dismantle the current structure of the public broadcasting system in the state and withdraw state funding from some cultural institutions.
Family Policy
FAMILY
Population and Birth Rates
To tackle Germany's ageing population, the party rejects attempts to attract more immigrants and would instead offer financial incentives to German citizens to bear children.
Traditional Family Structures
It says greater acceptance of "sexual deviations and non-reproductive lifestyles" has contributed to sinking birth rates and promises to aggressively promote "traditional" family structures consisting of a mother, father and children.
Gender and Youth Policy
The AfD would also push to restrict access to puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormone therapies for children and adolescents to counteract what it calls an increasing "trend" towards gender dysphoria.
(Reporting by Miranda Murray; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
