Key facts
- AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund accused the domestic intelligence service (BfV) of political direction.
- Siegmund claims the BfV is misused to spy on political opponents.
- The AfD aims for an absolute majority in the Saxony-Anhalt state election.
- The Saxony-Anhalt office of the security service designated the local AfD as 'far-right extremist'.
- The AfD views the Saxony-Anhalt election as a step towards national power.
Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD candidate for state premier in Saxony-Anhalt, accused Germany's domestic intelligence service, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), of being politically directed by the ruling conservatives to spy on political opponents. Siegmund stated the agency is being 'misused to crack down on the opposition' and that the AfD aims to return the BfV to its core remit. The upcoming September 6 state election in Saxony-Anhalt is highly anticipated, with the AfD holding a significant lead and aiming for an absolute majority, which would secure their first state premier. The local AfD in Saxony-Anhalt has been designated 'far-right extremist' by the security service, a label the party views as an attempt by mainstream parties to discredit it. The AfD sees the state election as a stepping stone to national power, with Siegmund referencing a 'blue wave' starting from Saxony-Anhalt. Mainstream parties, like Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats, have rejected cooperation with the AfD and view a potential victory as a major challenge to the constitutional order, with some calling it a choice between 'centrist democracy and extremism'.