# Ulrich Siegmund The [[AfD]] politician who led the party to **43.8%** in the [[2026 Saxony-Anhalt State Election]] and is its nominee for Minister-President — the first time the party has come within reach of a German state's executive. Born 25 October 1990 in Havelberg, Saxony-Anhalt. Trained as a wholesale and foreign-trade clerk, then took a bachelor's degree in business psychology and business administration; worked in sales before entering politics. A former CDU member. He entered the Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt in **2016**, and in **2022** became co-chair of the AfD parliamentary group alongside Oliver Kirchner. The party placed him at the head of its state list in **May 2025**. ## Why he matters Siegmund is the clearest case in Germany of a **platform-native far-right politician**. During the COVID-19 pandemic he built a mass following on TikTok attacking mask and vaccine requirements — reach that a backbench state legislator would otherwise have had no route to — and carried it into a heavily personalized 2026 campaign. Post-election survey data put his favourability above that of the sitting minister-president (37% to 30%), and the AfD's gain came disproportionately from **mobilizing previous non-voters** rather than converting other parties' supporters: the profile of an audience turned out, not an electorate persuaded. His nomination is also the test case for the *Brandmauer*. Because the Saxony-Anhalt constitution allows a **third-round election of the minister-president by simple majority**, the AfD's 39 of 83 seats do not have to become 42 through a coalition — they have to become a plurality that no one blocks. > [!warning] Unresolved > Reporting differs on whether Siegmund has committed to governing only with an outright AfD majority. One account attributes that position to him; the OSW analysis describes the AfD leadership as seeking a government including by attracting MPs from other parties. Not stated here as fact pending a second source. ## See also - [[2026 Saxony-Anhalt State Election]] — the result and the government question - [[AfD]] — the party and its radicalization - [[Alice Weidel]] — federal co-leader - [[German History Hub]] — country context