Left about government in Saxony-Anhalt: “We are the anti-fascist alternative”

taz: Ms. von Angern, your left surprisingly only came in fifth place in the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt with 8.6 percent. There were no promising coalition talks. Why are you running for Prime Minister now?

Eva von Angern: We want to send a clear signal to the people of Saxony-Anhalt that we do not accept the powerlessness and inert actions of the incumbent state government of CDU Prime Minister Sven Schulze. We want to say very clearly: We are the anti-fascist alternative. We stand for cohesion and focus on the issue of affordability of life. Ulrich Siegmund's AfD does not have a majority and it is not inevitable that he will become Prime Minister.

taz: You have support from your state chairmen and your parliamentary group. With the votes of the other parties, i.e. CDU, Greens, SPD and BSW, you would have a majority. But none of them agreed to vote for you. What do you hope to achieve from your candidacy?

The 49-year-old lawyer is the parliamentary group leader of the Left in the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament and has been a member of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament since 2002. In October, as senior president, she opened the first state parliament session of the 9th electoral term.

Von Angern: We are currently experiencing a truly unsustainable situation in Saxony-Anhalt. A stable majority is needed, for example for a state budget. The AfD acts as if it can walk on water, but it doesn't take responsibility. As leftists, we see it as our responsibility to prevent right-wing extremists from coming to power. My candidacy is an invitation to the Democrats to elect me. I'm curious to see how the Democratic groups react to this. I am experiencing an enormous wave of solidarity from the population.

Von Angern: I receive mail, comments on social media, emails and am approached at events or on the street. There is a lot of gratitude that we took this step. These are reactions from the progressive left camp and also from the conservative one. It's as if people were longing for someone to say: There is no alternative to a right-wing extremist state government.

taz: If you get the majority, you would govern. Do you have plans for a cabinet?

Von Angern: First we take the first step and then the second.

taz: Ulrich Siegmund, who is running for Prime Minister for the AfD, has now backed away from his announcement that he would get a majority of votes in the first round of voting. How many of the three possible ballots do you want to take part in?

Von Angern: My party and my group initially decided on two rounds of voting. Before the third round of voting, we will consult with the state executive board again.

taz: The SPD parliamentary group leader Katja Pähle criticizes that your candidacy seems like an ego trip.

Von Angern: That’s what Dr. See piles like this. I would like to remind you that in Saxony-Anhalt we already had a candidate from a small parliamentary group. When Christoph Bergner stood for the CDU in 1993, Hans-Jochen Tschiche, then chairman of the Greens, the smallest parliamentary group, stood up and said: There must be an alternative. In fact, he got the votes of the PDS (now the Left; editor's note). The SPD did not take part in parts of the election.

taz: When the AfD politician Tobias Rausch was elected president of the state parliament in Saxony-Anhalt at the beginning of October, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) indicated that Rausch had also been able to get the necessary votes from factions other than the CDU. What was meant was the left. Should your candidacy make it clear how the eight members of the Left Party vote in order to prevent such speculation?

Von Angern: No. That's a byproduct, of course. But the actual motive is a political statement. This is what people are longing for right now.