2024-08-30 11:22:28
Thuringia’s AfD top candidate Björn Höcke has cancelled a TV appearance and other appointments on Wednesday for health reasons. He wants to attend other appearances, the party said.
According to his party, Thuringia’s AfD leader Björn Höcke is not appearing on TV for health reasons. “It’s the current overall burden of the election campaign,” said Thuringia’s AfD co-spokesperson Stefan Möller to the German Press Agency. Höcke is “a little under the weather.” That’s why they want to distribute the work. He still has a lot of tasks ahead of him before the election, “and he still has to be able to get through that,” said Möller.
He did not know exactly what was wrong with Höcke, Möller said during the broadcast. Höcke had not been able to sleep at night. “Everyone has the right to show a health problem sometimes,” said Möller in response to the objection that Höcke wanted to attend election campaign events again on Thursday. “And that even applies to right-wing populists, I’ve heard.”
The broadcaster ntv had previously reported that Höcke would not take part in a TV round of ntv and Antenne Thüringen as planned. Möller would be in the round instead. The press spokesman for the Thuringian AfD, Torben Braga, said that Höcke had cancelled all of his appointments on Wednesday, but would attend the other appointments as planned. “He will be healthy again tomorrow.”
According to ntv, Höcke had already cancelled his participation on Monday, confirmed his participation again on Tuesday and then finally cancelled on Wednesday morning.
AfD leader Alice Weidel posted a picture of herself and Höcke on Wednesday, with Erfurt Cathedral in the background. A joint appearance is planned to mark the end of the election campaign on the cathedral square in the center of the Thuringian state capital on Saturday. Möller confirmed that Höcke would like to attend this appearance.