The decision of the State government of Saxony-Anhalt in Germany to proclaim an official Covid-19 emergency to access billions of euros in federal funding has drawn harsh criticism.
Ralf Seibicke, regional head of the Association of Taxpayers, called the resolution “bullsh*t” in an interview with tabloid Bild yesterday.
Seibicke said the decision showed the State’s finances are “out of control” and warned of high costs for taxpayers.
The Association of Taxpayers is a German NGO that speaks out in favour of lowering taxes and responsible use of taxpayer money by the State.
The parliament of Saxony-Anhalt had voted on December 16, at 51 for to 31 against, to proclaim an exceptional emergency situation due to Covid-19 for 2026.
This means the State can access special funds set aside by the German Government in 2020 to support public institutions during the Covid-19 crisis. Reportedly, Saxony-Anhalt could get up to €2 billion in funds, to be paid back over the coming years.
The money would be used for a variety of measures, including investments in the State’s hospital and digitisation of its schools and universities.
The motion was supported by the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP). The three form the current coalition government of Saxony-Anhalt.
CDU State MP Stefan Ruland said overcoming a crisis also included taking precautions to ensure that it did not repeat itself in the same way.
“The State Constitution allows for a state of emergency to be declared in exceptional circumstances that are beyond the state’s control and have a significant impact on its financial situation,” he said.
“This was precisely the case with the pandemic. And that is precisely why it is constitutionally permissible to deal with its ongoing consequences.”
The opposition parties voted against the proposition.
Jan Moldenhauer, an MP for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, said the emergency was “imaginary” and the resolution an illegal circumvention of the State’s debt ceiling. At the request of the AfD, the MPs voted by name on the motion.
Greens party MP Olaf Meister called the motion an example of “real-life satire”, saying the State Government could not in earnest declare digitisation a “pandemic damage” to finance it through the special funds.
Speaking with Welt TV yesterday, pundit Christoph Lemmer called the vote “utterly impertinent” and “a departure from normality”.
He added that the Covid-19 emergency resolution might well win the AfD the absolute majority in Saxony-Anhalt in the 2026 election.
According to the latest survey from October 2025 the right-wingers can expect to get 40 per cent of the vote.
