Özdemir warns against foreign influence in the AfD's sole government in Saxony-Anhalt

Baden-Württemberg's Prime Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) has warned against Russia and other states exerting influence in the event of an AfD sole government in Saxony-Anhalt. "It's about whether Saxony-Anhalt continues to be sovereign, whether decisions are made here about what happens here or whether in the future we have to get approval from Mr. Putin, from Mr. Trump, from Mr. XI or from Mr. Erdogan," the politician told the German Press Agency on the sidelines of the Greens' final event in the Saxony-Anhalt state election campaign in Halle. “It’s also about the sovereignty of Germany and Europe. That’s the choice here.”

He renewed his call for a party ban procedure for parts of the AfD. “I think it needs to be seriously examined whether the wing around Höcke violates the principles of the German Basic Law and our constitution.” This also applies to the other parts of the party that follow this ideology, said Özdemir.

The NPD ban process failed not because the NPD was not unconstitutional, but because it was too insignificant to endanger democracy. “You can’t say that now with the AfD.”

But self-criticism is also needed. “That doesn’t relieve us of the task of dealing with the question of why we lost so many people,” said Özdemir, referring to the AfD’s rising election results. The democratic parties should ask themselves what they did wrong.