Saxony PM jokes about splitting Saxony-Anhalt after AfD win

Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer joked about dividing the state of Saxony-Anhalt following the AfD's election victory there, while also calling the result a "bitter development." The CDU suffered its worst-ever result in the state with 17.2 percent, while the AfD won 43.8 percent. Kretschmer made the remark at a Dresden theater anniversary event, referencing Saxony-Anhalt's historical formation from various territories in 1947. He urged against returning to business as usual, calling for reflection on why people vote as they do and what the federal government can change. Saxony-Anhalt was dissolved in 1952 and re-established with slightly altered borders in 1990 after reunification, when territorial mergers with Saxony were also discussed. Kretschmer, who leads a minority CDU-SPD government in Saxony, had previously been suggested as a model for Saxony-Anhalt, though the AfD there has rejected cooperation.