- Björn Höcke invites you to engage in in-depth discussions.
Despite the slim chances of forming a coalition, Thuringia's AfD leader, Bjoern Hoecke, sees an opportunity to govern following the state election with his party. The 52-year-old expressed his intent in Erfurt to engage in talks with other parties regarding potential coalitions. It's a customary parliamentary practice for the strongest party post-election to extend invitations to discussions. "We're prepared to shoulder government responsibilities," Hoecke stated.
The AfD, with its extreme-right leader Hoecke, emerged as the dominant force in the Thuringia state election on Sunday. However, none of the other parties elected to the state parliament are interested in forming a coalition with them, as the state's Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified the party as firmly far-right extremist. Consequently, Hoecke's ambitions for government participation are viewed as implausible.
Thuringia's CDU leader Mario Voigt stands as a viable candidate for successor to Left Party Minister President Bodo Ramelow. The Christian Democrats finished second in the election. However, Voigt might face complex exploratory and coalition talks to form a stable majority government. To achieve this, he would need to secure the support of the newly formed alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) led by the former mayor of Eisenach, Katja Wolf, and the SPD.
BSW founder Wagenknecht established pre-election conditions, such as specific stances on war and peace. The CDU and SPD view this proposal with significant doubt.
Consequently, the AfD's election success may yet lead to another stint in the opposition benches. Prior to the election, the party's support in Thuringia had dipped slightly: In November and January, the AfD polled between 34 and 36%. At that time, Hoecke had publicly declared his goal of government participation, and some even predicted an absolute majority. The AfD plastered campaign posters with a large picture of Hoecke and the title "Minister President" below during the election campaign.
In stark contrast, CDU politician Voigt openly sought confrontation with the far-right Hoecke during the campaign, even sparring with him on television and attempting to frame the contest as Voigt vs. Hoecke. Voigt explicitly denounces working with the AfD, although his CDU has historically accepted AfD votes to pass its own legislation and motions, which has infrequently generated dissent.
Despite the AfD's dominance in the election campaign, their extreme-right ideology has impeded potential coalition partnerships. Election campaign strategies often include reaching out to various parties for potential cooperation, but Hoecke's ambition to govern seems unrealizable given the ruling parties' unwillingness to collaborate with the AfD.
