Armin Willingmann admits SPD errors on AfD, pushes immigration for Saxony‑Anhalt

Deputy Minister‑President of Saxony‑Anhalt and SPD lead candidate Armin Willingmann said his party had made strategic mistakes in dealing with the AfD. He criticized the SPD’s focus on welfare recipients, noting it created the impression that “the SPD cares mainly for benefit claimants and less for the hard‑working middle class,” and linked this to recent electoral losses. Willingmann also said democratic parties, including his own, avoided substantive discussion with the AfD for too long and should have addressed the issues the AfD raised earlier.

He warned that the AfD’s anti‑migration stance is “toxic” for the state’s economy and culture, arguing that Saxony‑Anhalt faces a shrinking population and a severe skilled‑labour shortage. “We will fall below two million by 2030 and therefore depend on immigration,” Willingmann told Die Welt, calling for more skilled migrants rather than xenophobic policies. He endorsed the CDU‑AfD cooperation ban, questioning whether the AfD would ever abandon extremist positions.