How Björn Höcke could become Prime Minister of Thuringia - and the Minister of the Interior wants to prevent it

Constitutional amendment - How Björn Höcke could become Prime Minister of Thuringia - and the Minister of the Interior wants to prevent it

It is a cautionary tale in these times: in 1930, Hitler's NSDAP party took part in a state government for the first time in Germany. In Thuringia, the fascists formed a coalition with four other parties and secured their first grip on power in the tottering Weimar Republic. 15 years later, Germany was at rock bottom, especially morally. The National Socialists had abolished democracy and brought about the greatest breach of civilization in history.

It is probably this look back into history that makes Thuringia's Interior Minister Georg Maier shudder almost a century later. "I sometimes have the feeling that we are sleepwalking into a disaster and will wake up on September 2 in an authoritarian system," the SPD politician told the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper on Thursday.

AfD strongest force in Thuringia according to polls

Maier is looking ahead to the state elections next year. A right-wing extremist could emerge as state premier and misanthropy could thus become government business. Eight months before the election, the AfD and its state leader Björn Höcke, who has been classified as right-wing extremist by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, are in first place in all polls - with up to 34% of the vote. "People are no longer voting for the AfD as a protest party," says Maier. "The majority of voters are now convinced of their stance."

And although all democratic parties have unanimously announced that they do not want to elevate the AfD to a government office, it could have a considerable influence on politics after the election - and possibly even become the Prime Minister of the Free State. "You have to bear in mind that the AfD could prevent the constitution from being changed or judges from being elected with a third of the votes," outlines Maier. "And as the strongest parliamentary group, it would have the right to appoint the Speaker of Parliament, which would allow it to control the scientific service, for example, and control the procedure for electing the Prime Minister."

Thuringia's Minister of the Interior Georg Maier (SPD)

Thuringia's constitution currently provides for a maximum of three rounds of voting in the state parliament for the election of the Minister President. In the first two, a candidate must win the support of a majority of the members of parliament in order to enter the state chancellery. "If the election does not take place in the second ballot either, the person who receives the most votes in a further ballot shall be elected," the state constitution states. This wording "leaves questions unanswered", says Interior Minister Maier, mapping out the path to a possible AfD Minister President. "If only one candidate stands, it would theoretically be possible for them to be elected with a single yes vote, even though all other MPs vote no or abstain."

Making the constitution "weatherproof"

In order to create clarity and make the constitution "weatherproof", as Maier puts it, the state parliament should amend the constitution "very quickly". "I simply can't understand why we first have to drive the cart full against the wall to wake everyone up."

However, an amendment to the constitution is not yet being discussed in the state parliament. And the current governing coalition of the Left Party, SPD and Greens does not have the necessary two-thirds majority in parliament and would need the support of the CDU. However, the Christian Democrats would prefer to have the Constitutional Court examine the current passage and its application. The Left Party is also skeptical of a constitutional amendment.

If there is no joint plan among the democrats, time is running out for the AfD and Björn Höcke. It is even conceivable that they could win an absolute majority in September if the Greens and FDP are kicked out of the Erfurt state parliament and the AfD gains further ground. The news agency DPA writes of an impending "political quake" in the east. After all, the AfD is also poised to triumph in the state elections in Saxony and Brandenburg next year. For the first time since 1945, right-wing extremists could gain government responsibility in Germany. Thuringia's Interior Minister Georg Maier is not only concerned about the past, but also about the future. He says: "We are very close to the tipping point in democracy. If not already over it."

"Süddeutsche Zeitung", Constitution of the Free State of Thuringia, DPA news agency