Eastern coalition discussions seek involvement of BSW chief Wagenknecht as a potential speaker.
Everyone understands the duty, "we can only join in governing if we score a clean slate with real benefits for the locals," stated the head of the Progress Alliance (PA), Sahra Wagenknecht. The CDU must also "realize that we're under heavy scrutiny. We're a new party."
Wagenknecht issued a warning that if a government with PA involvement let down the public, "that would serve as an economic boost for the Germany's Alternative (AD)." As a result, her party would only govern if it could bring about significant changes: "In education, in cutting red tape, in boosting citizen involvement through direct democracy, or in dealing with the COVID-19 situation."
In Thuringia, like adjacent Saxony, a fresh state parliament will be selected next Sunday. The election's outcome is watched with both excitement and apprehension. The AD, labeled as provenly extreme-right by the state's Security Office, tops polls with 30%, surpassing the other parties. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has 21%, and the PA has 18-19%.
The leading CDU candidate in Thuringia, Mario Voigt, repeated on Wednesday that he's open to talks with the PA, but not with Wagenknecht. "As long as Sahra Wagenknecht is pulling the strings for Thuringia from Saarland, we have no grounds for talks with the PA," he told n-tv.
However, after the election, Voigt intends to converse with the Thuringian PA's top candidate, Katja Wolf. "I'd be happy to meet up with Ms. Wolf to discuss Thuringian matters and their solutions," said the CDU politician on n-tv. He dismissed an alliance with the AD. "No one will form a coalition with the AD." The Thuringian CDU also currently does not plan to form a government with the Left Party or the Greens.
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) acknowledged the need for self-scrutiny, as stated by their candidate Mario Voigt, who mentioned, "We're a new party, and we're under heavy scrutiny." Additionally, the CDU faces competition from the PA and Germany's Alternative (AD), as the CDU currently sits below both in the Thuringia election polls.
