October 12, 2026

Saxony-Anhalt, one month after the election: A view from a psychiatric hospital

topic:	Election
located:	Germany
by:	Thomas Wendler

On Monday following the elections, everyone went to work as usual. Yet beneath the apparent calm, there was a palpable sense of uncertainty: how would a state government led by the regional branch of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) – a party classified as right-wing extremist by Germany's domestic intelligence service (Bundesverfassungsschutz) – affect our work and our lives?

On the hospital grounds, there is a residential facility for people with intellectual disabilities. The AfD's election manifesto reflects a deep rejection of the inclusion of people with disabilities. For example, it explicitly calls for an end to inclusive education, with children with disabilities to be taught in separate special schools rather than alongside children without disabilities. Our residents therefore have reason to fear that an AfD-led government could significantly reduce funding for inclusion and support for their participation in society. I fear that considerably less money would be made available for their care and support. This would diminish their quality of life and could also lead to job cuts at the residential facility.

In the Saxony-Anhalt state election on 6 September 2026, 43.8 per cent of the vote cast their ballots for the right-wing extremist AfD. The party's extraordinary electoral success was widely reported across Germany and internationally, drawing attention to this small federal state of 2.1 million inhabitants.

Although the AfD fell three seats short of an absolute majority, it is still seeking to form a government. In a significant development, AfD politician Tobias Rausch was elected president of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament on 6 October, with support extending beyond his own party.

As a welfare organisation, AWO has repeatedly found itself in the crosshairs of the AfD. For us, however, one thing is clear: our commitment remains unchanged. So does our responsibility.

It is important to note that, unlike hospital funding, the state government has considerable discretion over funding for disability support services, known in Germany as Eingliederungshilfe. Expenditure on these services accounts for a significant proportion of the state budget. And an AfD-led government would need substantial funds to fulfil even some of its costly election promises. It is clear that the AfD will attempt to implement as many of the pledges in its manifesto as possible. One of the party's central campaign messages was that it would fulfil its pre-election promises. The party even called its manifesto a 'government programme' to emphasise its determination to deliver on its promises.

So what can the psychiatric hospital, its staff and its patients expect?

'Patients, not profits', read one AfD election poster. The party's manifesto promises greater support for rural hospitals, provided they are considered essential to healthcare provision. Our hospital is located in Jerichow, a very rural area. However, the party's manifesto offers little indication of its position on psychiatric care. Perhaps the AfD itself does not yet know. After all, the party has never held government office anywhere in Germany.

Another election poster proclaimed: 'Live normally again.' Taken together with the party's opposition to inclusion, as set out in its manifesto, I am concerned that psychiatric care would not be a priority under an AfD-led government.

Another major concern is the hospital's foreign doctors. Some have worked at the hospital for many years, have settled in the region and speak German well. Others have only recently arrived. All of them could be prompted to leave by policies hostile to foreigners, perhaps moving to Berlin, just 100 kilometres away.

The issue attracted considerable attention during the election campaign. The AfD's manifesto calls for healthcare provision without 'culturally foreign' skilled workers. However, during a televised election debate, the party's lead candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, appeared to soften this position, saying that doctors were welcome in Saxony-Anhalt regardless of their origin, provided they did a good job.

But what will actually happen? Will the lead candidate's verbal reassurances prevail, or will the explicit wording of the party's manifesto guide its actions, especially since they have promised to keep their pre-election promises?

Would people with a migration background want to live in a state where they constantly feel unwelcome and are blamed for everything? Where they no longer feel safe and where fear shapes their daily lives?

Much remains uncertain. One thing is clear, however: we at AWO will stay the course. We stand for the inviolability of human dignity, a diverse society, and the right to healthcare that is accessible to everyone and leaves no one behind.