Debate about “firewall”
“The CDU would sell its soul”: Merz calls cooperation with the AfD “unimaginable”
CDU leader Friedrich Merz rejects cooperation with the AfD
© Bernd von Jutrczenka / DPA
CDU party leader Friedrich Merz has clearly distanced himself from possible cooperation with the AfD. The federal CDU is now warning the Thuringian regional association against further cooperation with the right-wing populists.
When asked about a controversial vote in the Thuringian state parliament, in which a proposal from the opposition CDU to reduce the real estate transfer tax with the approval of the AfD found a majority, Merz said: “There has been no cooperation with the AfD in Thuringia either.” The Thuringian CDU first held talks with the SPD and the Greens. That didn’t help. “Then the CDU submitted a motion to the state parliament that corresponds to our convictions.” His party “does not allow one side or the other to dictate which political positions we take.”
The Thuringian AfD is classified and monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution in the Free State as definitely right-wing extremist. The red-red-green government in Erfurt does not have its own majority.
Merz also expressed his rejection of a proposal by the historian Andreas Rödder, head of the CDU Basic Values Commission, who can also imagine CDU minority governments that are tolerated by the AfD. “I told him personally and I’ll repeat it here publicly: No. That’s an absolute no-go!” emphasized Merz.
In voter surveys, the AfD currently has approval ratings of 19 to 22 percent. The Union parties achieved between 27 and 30 percent.
Federal CDU warns Thuringian CDU against further coordination with AfD
Meanwhile, the CDU federal leadership has warned the Thuringian state association against further adoption of laws with the votes of the AfD. The party leadership is particularly concerned that the Thuringian CDU has introduced a bill against gender language in the state parliament – this could be approved by the AfD. “Putting through such a proposal now would be a mistake,” said CDU deputy federal chairwoman Karin Prien to the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. When it comes to such socio-political issues, it is important to “keep a maximum distance from the AfD”.FS Chronicle AfD 17.34
CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann made a similar statement: “When it comes to gender, I think that the state shouldn’t dictate how someone should speak, but we shouldn’t exaggerate this issue either,” he told the paper. “We shouldn’t wage culture wars, but rather deal with the real problems.”
The new draft is about a law with which the Thuringian CDU wants to ban gender in schools and in administration.