Germany's intelligence agencies prepare safeguards against potential AfD influence in Saxony-Anhalt

Germany's domestic intelligence agencies are preparing contingency plans following the AfD's electoral victory in Saxony-Anhalt, with Thuringia's domestic intelligence chief Stephan Kramer recommending preemptive restrictions on data sharing to protect sensitive information. Kramer proposed graduated information rights and limited transmission of highly sensitive data if doubts arise about the secrecy protection of a political leadership. The plans include tiered information access for authorities in Saxony-Anhalt, strict limits on sensitive data transfers, and timely handover of intelligence sources to other agencies to protect informants. The AfD won nearly 44 percent of the vote in the state election, while the CDU fell to 17.2 percent, raising concerns that a future AfD interior minister could access counterintelligence data and replace personnel. Thuringia's interior minister Georg Maier called the situation a "real threat to national security," and Hamburg's interior senator Andy Grote demanded security structures be shielded from extremist influence. SPD and Green politicians criticized the Union for delaying preventive measures for electoral reasons, warning that data leaks to Russia could make Germany an unreliable partner for foreign intelligence services.