Former CDU faction chief Guido Heuer says he will stay for premier vote

In an interview, former CDU faction head Guido Heuer said he will stay inside the Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt’s plenary hall for the upcoming December vote on the Minister-President, opposing the faction’s initial idea of a collective walk-out. He described a walk-out as a predetermined move that would effectively reveal an abstention. He refused to disclose how he will vote, emphasizing that he will not comment on a secret ballot even after the vote is over.

He dismissed the uproar over AfD politician Tobias Rausch’s election as parliamentary speaker, arguing that the secrecy of the vote prevents any identification of CDU members who may have supported him. He warned that the CDU is suffering a credibility issue among the electorate and ruled out any coalition or tolerance of the AfD, while asserting that governing with shifting majorities or a minority cabinet should be permissible. He backed Sepp Müller as a candidate for the state party chair and cautioned against blaming Berlin, pointing instead to internal problems within the state branch.