AfD's Threat to Bauhaus and Cultural Policy in Saxony-Anhalt

In Saxony-Anhalt, the far-right AfD party could win an absolute majority in the state election on September 6, potentially forming a government for the first time. The party's platform, titled '#deutschdenken', targets the Bauhaus and modern art, promising a 'new patriotic cultural policy' and threatening to defund art that does not contribute to 'German identity'. The current state government, a coalition of CDU, SPD, and FDP, preemptively passed a cultural funding law on Wednesday to protect artistic freedom, provenance research, and anti-racism clauses. The AfD abstained from the vote but indicated it would amend the law if it takes power. A May 13 poll shows the AfD at 41.6%, double its 2016 result, while the SPD and FDP risk falling below the 5% threshold. The Bauhaus Dessau, celebrating its centenary, is a direct target of AfD criticism.