Schnieder worried about possible AfD participation in the Prime Minister's Conference

Concern about AfD at state level “Don’t want the door to Moscow to be open” As of: October 22, 2026 • 11:25 a.m

The Prime Minister's Conference is meeting today - there is no AfD head of government there yet. That could change if Siegmund is elected in Saxony-Anhalt. Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Schnieder warned of security risks.

Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Gordon Schnieder (CDU) has warned of possible security risks if an AfD head of government were to be a member of the state premiers' conference in the future. "I don't want the door to Moscow to be open just because he is now sitting at the table," said Schnieder in the ARD morning magazine, referring to the possible AfD Prime Minister Ulrich Siegmund in Saxony-Anhalt.

“We will find mechanisms so that this will not be so easy,” Schnieder continued. Schnieder cited the Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the National Security Council as examples of sensitive topics. The handling of such security issues has been discussed “very confidentially in the background” for a long time.

Schnieder was also concerned about the future functioning of the Prime Minister's Conference (MPK), which is meeting in Berlin today. The work in the conference depends on confidentiality and unanimity - "we have to see how things continue," said Schnieder. However, we will continue to talk to each other on a "good level" in the future, "even if there is someone there who would not do it with us in a proper manner."

"We live from unanimity", Gordon Schnieder, CDU, Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, to the MPK morning magazine, Das Erste, October 22nd, 2026 • 8:00 a.m. Rhineland-Palatinate retains the conference chairmanship Rhineland-Palatinate is currently continuing to lead the conference, which serves to coordinate between the federal states. Saxony-Anhalt would actually have taken over the annually changing chairmanship in October. However, due to the unclear situation after the state elections in September, the MPK decided that Rhineland-Palatinate would retain the conference chairmanship for another year.

AfD leading candidate Siegmund wants to stand for election as prime minister in December. In view of the lack of an absolute majority, the party is currently seeking support in discussions with the BSW and, according to its own statements, also from individual MPs from other parliamentary groups. No party wants to form a coalition with her.

With a view to the formation of a government in Berlin between the Left, the Greens and the SPD, Schnieder said: "We see a second extreme force." A “reactionary, openly anti-Jewish left” is threatening to come to power here. “Then we have two federal states that are affected.”

The Left with its top candidate Elif Eralp won the election to the Berlin House of Representatives ahead of the CDU a few weeks ago - she may be the governing mayor for the first time. In addition to the Berlin SPD, the Greens also decided on Monday to start joint coalition negotiations with the Left. In particular, discussions about how the left deals with anti-Semitism had previously made the discussions more difficult. The Left Party will not decide on possible coalition negotiations until the end of October.

Both parties decided to hold coalition negotiations in the evening - the vote for the Left is still pending. more

Schnieder also reiterated the Union's demand to reduce electricity taxes on rbb24 Inforadio. To relieve the burden on citizens and companies, this should ideally happen on January 1st, said the CDU politician. Since higher tax revenues are expected, the financial leeway is available and should be used accordingly.

After a presidential meeting in mid-October, the CDU promised a reduction in electricity tax “for everyone” to the European minimum. This was actually already agreed in the coalition agreement, but the black-red coalition initially decided not to do so last time due to a lack of financial leeway in the budget. At that time, only the electricity tax was reduced for areas of industry, agriculture and forestry.

In order to finance the electricity tax for everyone, CDU leader and Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently referred to higher growth, which will also bring in higher tax revenue. However, Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) was skeptical as to whether the electricity tax cut could be financed permanently.

"Söder with a push for an extremism clause", Mirja Fiedler, RBB, on the MPK alignment with a possible AfD Prime Minister tagesschau24, October 22nd, 2026 • 11:00 a.m. Schnieder Prime Minister Conference This topic in the program: Das Erste | Morning magazine | Oct 22, 2026 | 8:00 a.m