German political angst, local edition

Reports have emerged this week that the long-standing leader of Saxony-Anhalt will resign. Reiner Haseloff, a member of the Christian Democratic Union, has led the German state since 2011. If the coalition agrees on Monday, his proposed successor, Sven Schulz, could succeed him as state premier. State legislators were slow to support Schulz, but that has changed due to fear of the far-right AfD party, which is now polling at nearly 40 percent in Saxony-Anhalt. Many fear the AfD could win the September election. Germany’s intractable state and federal political chaos is contributing to the emergence of a strong German leader.