Editing Saxony (section)

== Politics ==
[[File:2019-09-01 Wahlabend Sachsen by Sandro Halank–166.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.70|Michael Kretschmer, Minister President since 2017]]

Saxony is a parliamentary democracy. A [[Minister president (Germany)|Minister President]] heads the government of Saxony. [[Michael Kretschmer]] has been Minister President since 13 December 2017.

=== 2024 state election ===
{{Main|2024 Saxony state election}}

{{Election results
|image=[[File:2024 Saxony Landtag.svg]]
|firstround=Party-list
|secondround=Constituency
|electorate=3181013
|electorate2=3181013
|invalid=19783
|invalid2=28964

|party1=[[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]]
|votes1=749216
|sw1=
|seats1=15
|votes1_2=805231
|seats1_2=27
|totseats1=42
|sc1={{decrease}} 3

|party2=[[Alternative for Germany]]
|votes2=719274
|seats2=13
|votes2_2=794176
|seats2_2=28
|totseats2=41
|sc2={{increase}} 3

|party3=[[Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht]]
|votes3=277173
|seats3=15
|votes3_2=148350
|seats3_2=0
|totseats3=15
|sc3=New

|party4=[[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]]
|votes4=172002
|seats4=9
|votes4_2=144407
|seats4_2=0
|totseats4=9
|sc4={{decrease}} 1

|party5=[[Alliance 90/The Greens]]
|votes5=119964
|seats5=4
|votes5_2=119016
|seats5_2=2
|totseats5=6
|sc5={{decrease}} 6

|party6=[[The Left (Germany)|The Left]]
|votes6=104888
|seats6=4
|votes6_2=149120
|seats6_2=2
|totseats6=6
|sc6={{decrease}} 8

|party7=[[Free Voters]]
|votes7=53008
|seats7=0
|votes7_2=113042
|seats7_2=1
|totseats7=1
|sc7={{increase}} 1

|colour8=#009332
|party8=[[Free Saxons]]
|votes8=52195
|seats8=0
|votes8_2=12771
|seats8_2=0
|totseats8=0
|sc8={{steady}} 0

|party9=[[Action Party for Animal Welfare]]
|votes9=23576
|seats9=0
|totseats9=0
|sc9={{steady}} 0

|party10=[[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]]
|votes10=21003
|seats10=0
|votes10_2=33644
|seats10_2=0
|totseats10=0
|sc10={{steady}} 0

|party11=[[Die PARTEI]]
|votes11=19870
|seats11=0
|votes11_2=2607
|seats11_2=0
|totseats11=0
|sc11={{steady}} 0

|party12=[[Pirate Party Germany|Pirate Party]]
|votes12=6842
|seats12=0
|totseats12=0
|sc12={{steady}} 0

|party13=[[Bündnis Deutschland]]
|votes13=6753
|seats13=0
|votes13_2=972
|seats13_2=0
|totseats13=0
|sc13=New

|party14=[[Values Union]]
|votes14=6469
|seats14=0
|votes14_2=1819
|seats14_2=0
|totseats14=0
|sc14=New

|party15=[[Grassroots Democratic Party of Germany]]
|votes15=4483
|seats15=0
|votes15_2=702
|seats15_2=0
|totseats15=0
|sc15=New

|colour16=#0872ba
|party16=[[Alliance C]]
|votes16=4368
|seats16=0
|totseats16=0
|sc16={{steady}} 0

|party17=[[V-Partei3]]
|votes17=3286
|seats17=0
|totseats17=0
|sc17={{steady}} 0

|party18=[[Ecological Democratic Party]]
|votes18=1966
|seats18=0
|votes18_2=322
|seats18_2=0
|totseats18=0
|sc18={{steady}} 0

|party19=[[Bürgerrechtsbewegung Solidarität|Civil Rights Movement Solidarity]]
|votes19=1580
|seats19=0
|votes19_2=752
|seats19_2=0
|totseats19=0
|sc19={{steady}} 0

|colour20=yellow
|party20=[[Holger Zastrow|Team Zastrow]]
|votes20_2=6984
|seats20_2=0
|totseats20=0
|sc20={{steady}} 0

|colour21={{party color|Regionalists}}
|party21=Solutions for our region
|votes21_2=2152
|seats21_2=0
|totseats21=0
|sc21={{steady}} 0

|party22=[[Party of Progress (Germany)|Party of Progress]]
|votes22_2=248
|seats22_2=0
|totseats22=0
|sc22={{steady}} 0

|colour23={{party color|Regionalists}}
|party23=We Are Leipzig
|votes23_2=382
|seats23_2=0
|totseats23=0
|sc23={{steady}} 0

|party24=[[Independent politician|Independents]]
|votes24_2=2038
|seats24_2=0
|totseats24=0
|sc24={{steady}} 0
}}

=== Members of the state government ===
{{See also|Second Kretschmer cabinet|List of ministers-president of Saxony}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ <!--Kabinett Kretschmer– -->
!Government office
! Picture
!Name
!colspan="2"|Party
!width=150|State Secretary
!colspan="2"|Party
|-
| [[List of ministers-president of Saxony|Minister President]]
| style="padding:0;background-color:#777;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;"| [[File:Michael Kretschmer-v2 Pawel-Sosnowski - Querformat (cropped).jpg|center|frameless|120px]]
| [[Michael Kretschmer]]
| style="background:#000000"|
| [[Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands|CDU]]
| colspan="3" style="background:#EBEBEB;" | 
|-
| First Deputy of the Minister President
| rowspan="2" style="padding:0;background-color:#777;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;"| [[File:Wolfram Günther Pressefoto.jpg|center|frameless|120px]]
| rowspan="2"| [[Wolfram Günther]]
| rowspan="2" bgcolor="#008b00"|
| rowspan="2"| [[Alliance 90/The Greens|B'90/Die Grünen]]
| colspan="3" style="background:#EBEBEB;" |
|-
| |[[Saxon State Ministry for Energy, Climate protection, Environment und Agriculture]] (SMEKUL)
| Gerd Lippold 
Gisela Reetz
| style="background:#008b00"|
|B'90/Die Grünen
|-
| Second Deputy of the Minister President
| rowspan="2" style="padding:0;background-color:#777;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;"| [[File:2016-12-15 Martin Dulig (Landtagsprojekt Sachsen) by Sandro Halank.jpg|center|frameless|120px]]
| rowspan="2"| [[Martin Dulig]]
| bgcolor="#ff0000" rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2"| [[Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands|SPD]]
| colspan="3" style="background:#EBEBEB;" |
|-
| [[Saxon State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labour and Transport]] (SMWA)
| Hartmut Mangold
Ines Fröhlich
| style="background:#FF0000"|
| SPD
|-
| [[Saxon State Ministry of the Interior]] (SMI)
| style="padding:0;background-color:#777;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;"| [[File:2020-03-01 Medal Ceremony 4-man bobsleigh (Bobsleigh & Skeleton World Championships Altenberg 2020) by Sandro Halank–034.jpg|center|frameless|142x142px]]
| [[Roland Wöller]]
| rowspan="2" style="background:#000000" |
| CDU
| Thomas Rechentin<br/><small>Head of office</small>
| style="background:#000000"|
| CDU
|-
| [[Saxon State Ministry of Finance]] (SMF)
| style="padding:0;background-color:#777;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;"| 
| [[Hartmut Vorjohann]]
| CDU
| Dirk Diedrichs<br><small>Head of office</small>
| style="padding:0;background-color:#777;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;"|
| non-party
|-
| [[Saxon State Ministry of Justice and for Democracy, European Affairs and Equality]] (SMJ)
| style="padding:0;background-color:#777;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;"| [[File:Katja Meier Pressefoto.jpg|center|frameless|120px]]
| [[Katja Meier]]
|style="background:#008b00"|
|B'90/Die Grünen
| Mathias Weilandt
Gesine Märtens
| style="background:#008b00"|
|B'90/Die Grünen
|-
| [[Saxon State Ministry of Education]] (SMK)
| style="padding:0;background-color:#777;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;"| [[File:Christian Piwarz by Stepro IMG 1416 LR50.jpg|center|frameless|120px]]
| [[Christian Piwarz]]
| rowspan="3" style="background:#000000" |
| CDU
| Herbert Wolff
| rowspan="3" style="background:#000000" |
| CDU
|-
| [[Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism|Saxon State Ministry of Science]] (SMWK)
| style="padding:0;background-color:#777;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;"| [[File:2016-12-15 Sebastian Gemkow (Landtagsprojekt Sachsen) by Sandro Halank–1.jpg|center|frameless|120px]]
| [[Sebastian Gemkow]]
| CDU
| rowspan="2" | Andrea Franke
| rowspan="2" | CDU
|-
| [[Saxon State Ministry of Culture and Tourism]] (SMWK)
| style="padding:0;background-color:#777;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;"| [[File:2016-12-15 Barbara Klepsch by Sandro Halank–1.jpg|center|frameless|120px]]
| [[Barbara Klepsch]]
| CDU
|-
| [[Saxon State Ministry of Social Affairs]] (SMS)
| style="padding:0;background-color:#777;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;"| [[File:2016-12-15 Petra Köpping (Landtagsprojekt Sachsen) by Sandro Halank–4.jpg|center|frameless|120px]]
| [[Petra Köpping]]
| style="background:#FF0000"|
| SPD
| Uwe Gaul<br /><small>(until July 5, 2021)</small><br />Sebastian Vogel<br /><small>(since July 6, 2021)</small><br />Dagmar Neukirch<br />
| style="background:#FF0000"|
| SPD
|-
| [[Saxon State Ministry of Regional Development]] (SMR)
| style="padding:0;background-color:#777;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;"| [[File:MJK21321 Thomas Schmidt.jpg|center|frameless|120px]]
| [[Thomas Schmidt (politician)|Thomas Schmidt]]
| rowspan="2" style="background:#000000" |
| CDU
| Frank Pfeil
| style="padding:0;background-color:#777;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;"|
| non-party
|-
| Head of the [[Sächsische Staatskanzlei|Saxon State Chancellery]] and State Minister of Federal matters and Media
| style="padding:0;background-color:#777;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;"| 
| [[Oliver Schenk]]
| CDU
| Thomas Popp<br /><small>Digital Administration and Administrative modernization (Member of the state government)</small><br />
Conrad Clemens<br /><small>Authorized representative of the free state Saxony to the federal government of Germany</small><br />
| style="background:#000000"|
| CDU
|}

=== 2024 European Parliament Election ===
In the [[2024 European Parliament election]], [[Alternative for Germany|AfD]] received the highest percentage of votes in Saxony, winning 31.8% of the ballots. The other states where AfD has become the strongest party are [[Thuringia]], [[Saxony-Anhalt]], [[Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]], and [[Brandenburg]]. These four states were part of [[East Germany]] like Saxony. Compared to the last election, AfD increased their votes in Saxony which was 25.3% in the [[2019 European Parliament election]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Far-right AfD becomes strongest party in eastern German states |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/far-right-afd-becomes-strongest-party-in-eastern-german-states/3245649 |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=www.aa.com.tr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ergebnisse – Die Bundeswahlleiterin |url=https://www.bundeswahlleiterin.de/europawahlen/2024/ergebnisse.html |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=www.bundeswahlleiterin.de}}</ref>

[[CDU/CSU]] received 21.8% of the votes in Saxony and became the second strongest party in the 2024 EP election. [[Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht|BSW]] was in the third place by receiving 12.6% of the votes. [[The Left (Germany)|The Left]] lost a significant proportion of their votes compared to the 2019 election. Their votes regressed from 11.7% to 4.9%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=European Parliament election 2019 – The Federal Returning Officer |url=https://www.bundeswahlleiterin.de/en/europawahlen/2019.html |access-date=2024-07-09 |website=www.bundeswahlleiterin.de}}</ref>

==== Federal politics ====
Saxony has 16 [[Electoral district|constituencies]] for the [[Bundestag]].
{{Electoral districts of Saxony}}

=== Administration ===
Saxony is divided into 10 districts:
[[File:Landkreise Sachsen 2012.svg|right|thumb|upright=1.30|Map of Saxony's 10 districts]]

&nbsp; 1. [[Bautzen (district)|Bautzen]] (BZ)<br /><!--uses "<br>" to avoid
 – incorrect spacing of "#" indent alongside map -->
&nbsp; 2. [[Erzgebirgskreis]] (ERZ)<br />
&nbsp; 3. [[Görlitz (district)|Görlitz]] (GR)<br />
&nbsp; 4. [[Leipzig (district)|Leipzig]] (L)<br />
&nbsp; 5. [[Meissen (district)|Meissen]] (MEI) (Meissen)<br />
&nbsp; 6. [[Mittelsachsen]] (FG)<br />
&nbsp; 7. [[Nordsachsen]] (TDO)<br />
&nbsp; 8. [[Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge]] (PIR)<br />
&nbsp; 9. [[Vogtlandkreis]] (V)<br />
10. [[Zwickau (district)|Zwickau]] (Z)

In addition, three cities have the status of an [[Urban districts of Germany|urban district]] ({{langx|de|kreisfreie Stadt}}):
# [[Chemnitz]] (C)
# [[Dresden]] (DD)
# [[Leipzig]] (L)

Between 1990 and 2008, Saxony was divided into the three regions (''Regierungsbezirke'') of [[Chemnitz (region)|Chemnitz]], [[Dresden (region)|Dresden]], and [[Leipzig (region)|Leipzig]]. The [[1994–1996 Saxony district reform]] created 22 new districts and seven independent cities. After the [[2008 Saxony district reform]], these regions –  with some alterations of their respective areas –  were called ''Direktionsbezirke''. In 2012, the authorities of these regions were merged into one central authority, the ''{{Interlanguage link|Landesdirektion Sachsen|de}}''.