2024-02-17 03:29:48
CDU leader Friedrich Merz warned of a possible election victory for the AfD in Thuringia on political Ash Wednesday. He made a demand to the other parties.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz has warned of the AfD’s possible government responsibility after the state elections in Thuringia. “It would be a shame for Thuringia, but above all it would be a shame for Germany,” he said at the CDU Thuringia’s political Ash Wednesday in Apolda. “This is a party that does not stand for an alternative for Germany. Rather, this party stands for the decline of Germany,” said Merz.
The CDU corrected its strategy in dealing with the AfD over the turn of the year, Merz continued. “Until then, many of us were of the opinion that by ignoring and making light of it, the problem would eventually disappear.” At the latest, Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 and the way the AfD dealt with them changed this picture.
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“It’s about the dispute between Voigt and Höcke”
For the upcoming state elections on September 1st, Merz made it clear that he hoped for support from other parties. The election will come down to a duel between AfD parliamentary group leader Björn Höcke and CDU state leader Mario Voigt, said Merz. He invites all parties in Thuringia to clearly stand on the side of the democratic parties. This is especially true for those who have no chance of playing a role in future state politics. In particular he means the FDP, but this could also apply to the SPD.
The background is that the FDP only got three percent in the last two surveys, the SPD got six and nine percent respectively. Merz did not mention the Greens, who are at five percent, in this context. With values between 31 and 36 percent in Thuringia, the AfD is well ahead of the CDU with 20 percent in surveys. The AfD regional association is classified as definitely right-wing extremist and is being monitored by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, and the AfD in Brandenburg is a suspected case. New state parliaments will be elected in all three federal states in the fall.
“We will do a damn thing to close off all options.”
With regard to the federal level, the CDU leader also emphasized that the Union would prefer to govern with the FDP. But one should not rule out the option of forming a coalition with the SPD or the Greens if necessary. The Union just needs to become so strong that it can choose for itself who it governs with. This is the only way she can assert her positions.
“We will do a damn thing to close off all options and thereby take away any room for maneuver,” said Merz. In Hesse, Prime Minister Boris Rhein was only able to get major concessions from the SPD because he had two partners to negotiate with. “We have to become so strong in the next federal election that we cannot govern without us or against us,” he continued.
Then three options remained. He prefers the FDP. If the FDP was not there, then the SPD and the Greens would still remain, he explained to the members of the Thuringian regional association to boos. It must be clear that, given the current situation, all parties in the “broad political center” must be able to cooperate with one another and, under certain circumstances, also be capable of forming a coalition. Merz had already made it clear that he was not ruling out a coalition with the Greens.