After the election of an AfD state parliament president in Saxony-Anhalt, the pressure on the CDU is increasing. The question is whether CDU politicians also voted for the AfD candidate. Now Chancellor Friedrich Merz commented. He spoke of a “historic turning point” and once again warned against any cooperation with the AfD.
“Anyone who elects a member of a right-wing extremist party as president of the state parliament must reconcile this with their conscience,” he said at an event organized by Handelsblatt and Wirtschaftswoche. "Anyone who votes for the AfD is playing the extremists' game and destroying credibility. In any case, this is not compatible with the values of my party, the CDU."
The AfD politician Tobias Rausch received 48 of the 82 votes cast in the secret vote - and thus also support from other parties. There is speculation as to whether CDU MPs also voted for him. The AfD and the BSW, which supports it, have a total of 44 votes. The CDU parliamentary group had recommended that its 15 MPs abstain.
However, there were only five abstentions and, according to MDR, one CDU representative was not present at the meeting. The SPD, Greens and Left Party factions had announced that they would vote against Rausch. Together they have 24 elected representatives. In total there were 29 no votes.
In the past, Merz had threatened to initiate party expulsion proceedings if CDU party committees decided to form alliances with the AfD. The CDU leader pointed out that because of the secret election it was not known who voted for the AfD candidate. It didn't have to be CDU MPs alone, he said.
“False flag operations don’t just exist militarily, they also exist politically, so be careful with hasty conclusions,” the Chancellor added, alluding to the behavior of left-wing MPs.
There are three groups in the new state parliament in Saxony-Anhalt “that are doing everything to undermine the cohesion in our democracy, everything.” He also trusts them to do anything.
NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) also reacted. There should be no normalization of right-wing extremist thought patterns in parliaments. “Parliament is the heart chamber of our democracy,” he said.
"And the fact that it is now led in Saxony-Anhalt by a member of a firmly right-wing extremist party shows that something has begun to falter in our country." At the same time, he called on his party to unite. "For us Christian Democrats, it's about clarity and unity. Clarity in our direction," he said, according to WDR.
CDU general secretary Franziska Hoppermann had previously described the election as a “severe blow” for the Christian Democrats. "It is clear to Germany's CDU that supporting an extremist party or a government led by it is not compatible with the values of our party," Hoppermann told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
CDU Vice and Federal Family Minister Karin Prien referred to the CDU's decisions on the rbb and said: "If it was colleagues from the CDU state parliamentary group, then that is of course completely unacceptable."
Rumblings also continue in the CDU parliamentary group in the state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt. There may be a risk of a split there. As several group members confirmed to the MDR, some of the CDU/CSU MPs are thinking about leaving the group and possibly forming their own parliamentary group.
There is great anger among the coalition partner in Berlin. SPD leader Lars Klingbeil demanded explanations from the Christian Democrats. “It is a breach of taboo to elect right-wing extremists to such offices.” Not only the BSW, but also the CDU urgently need to explain how this came about.
SPD General Secretary Tim Klüssendorf told the Rheinische Post: "My clear expectation of the CDU is that it immediately clarifies who among its ranks may have considered this fatal decision to be correct."
On Tuesday, many members of the SPD parliamentary group gathered for a protest march in the middle of Berlin. The members of the Bundestag walked together through the Brandenburg Gate to Bebelplatz, the site of the book burning after the National Socialists came to power in 1933. Several parliamentarians carried copies of the Basic Law. At the end, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius sang the national anthem after a passionate speech.
The “firewall” could also become a topic at the coalition committee of the Union and SPD, which meets in Berlin in the evening. The event is not a reaction to the events in Saxony-Anhalt, but rather takes place regularly after a three-month summer break.
The focus is on the upcoming reform projects, but the SPD announced that it would also seek exchanges about Saxony-Anhalt. It is unclear whether there will be public comments immediately after the meeting.
