CDU acts differently towards AfD in district councils
Following the classification of the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt as right-wing extremist, there is no uniform approach from the CDU towards the right-wing populists in the district councils. While some local politicians do not want to agree to AfD motions as a matter of principle, others consider joint votes on substantive policy issues to be unproblematic, according to a survey conducted by the German Press Agency.
"When it comes to substantive motions, we rarely differentiate between those who table them," said Claus-Christian Kühne, CDU parliamentary group leader in the Börde district. This can be seen, for example, in the fact that the Left Party has also supported AfD motions, said Kühne. People's senses are generally heightened and they pay attention to discriminatory statements and wording in the AfD. However, Kühne said that at a municipal level, the focus is always on factual politics.
Markus Kurze takes a similar view. No democratically elected members of the district council are excluded, said the CDU parliamentary group leader in Jerichower Land. In the case of proposals in the interests of citizens and local authorities, there is no pressure from the parliamentary group to reject sensible proposals. "This will not change," said Kurze.
In Saxony-Anhalt, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified the state association of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a confirmed right-wing extremist organization. The authority has reportedly evaluated numerous anti-Muslim, racist and anti-Semitic statements made by functionaries and elected representatives.
Some local politicians from the Christian Democrats advocate a stricter course than Kühne and Kurze. "We have not yet agreed to any of the AfD's requests and will not do so in the future," said Jörg Riemer, CDU parliamentary group leader in the Burgenland district. "As before, we will point out that the AfD is not a democratic party."
Local CDU representatives in the districts of Wittenberg and Harz also stated in response to inquiries that they had not yet approved any AfD motions. Should there be any meaningful motions, these would be discussed within the parliamentary group, said Harz parliamentary group leader Marcus Weise. "So far, however, no such motions have been submitted."
In Magdeburg, the AfD already got a project through a few years ago with swimming courses for nursery children. However, the motion was changed in the committees, said CDU parliamentary group leader Wigbert Schwenke. "You can be annoyed that the AfD was quicker than others - but the intention was right," said Schwenke. It was a purely factual issue that also met with approval in other parliamentary groups. There are always changing majorities in the city council, said Schwenke.
"There is no cooperation with the AfD," CDU state chairman Sven Schulze emphasized after the decision by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. It is true that decisions on new school buildings or playgrounds are often made unanimously at municipal level. However, this is not cooperation, according to Schulze. There is a difference between factual decisions and political decisions.
In some municipalities, CDU politicians may collaborate with other parties, including the AfD, on policy-related motions, viewing the focus as being on factual politics. However, in other districts, such as Burgenland, CDU leaders refuse to support any AfD proposals due to their ideological stance.
Source: www.dpa.com
