State elections - Merz: It's about holding the middle ground in the country
Before the state elections in Saxony and Thuringia, CDU Federal Chairman Friedrich Merz warned against the nationalism of the AfD. The elections would not only be observed in Germany but in all of Europe, Merz stated at the joint campaign kickoff of the Saxon and Thuringian state organizations in Meerane, Saxony. It's about holding the country in the middle, Merz explained.
"Conservative, liberal, social - everything correct, but not nationalistic. We are also patriots in the CDU", Merz said. But the difference is that patriots love their country and nationalists hate other countries. There are no compromises in that, Merz emphasized. Therefore, there will be no cooperation with the AfD.
Merz praised Thuringian top candidate Mario Voigt for engaging in public discussion with Thuringian AfD leader Bjoern Hoecke and "pulling a little mask off his face." "For that, you deserve the greatest respect and thanks," Merz said. Hoecke then encountered problems within his own ranks because he was considered too soft, too weak, and too friendly in the discussion with Voigt.
Merz campaigned with Saxon Minister President Michael Kretschmer and Thuringian State Chairman Mario Voigt on Thursday evening for the joint campaign kickoff of the Saxon and Thuringian state organizations. State elections are taking place in both states on September 1st. In Saxony, the party was last at 29% in an Infratest survey, just behind the AfD (30%). In neighboring Thuringia, the CDU came in second place in an Insa survey from the end of June with 22%, just ahead of the BSW (20%), but far behind the AfD (29%).
- The state elections in Saxony and Thuringia, where the CDU is currently trailing behind the AfD in both states according to recent polls, will be closely watched not only in Germany but across Europe.
- Friedrich Merz, the CDU Federal Chairman, delivered a stern warning against the nationalist tendencies of the AfD during the joint campaign kickoff event in Meerane, Saxony.
- Merz emphasized that nationalism and patriotism are not the same, and that the CDU, being conservative, liberal, and social, does not subscribe to the nationalistic ideologies of the AfD.
- In a public discussion, Thuringian CDU top candidate Mario Voigt engaged with the AfD leader Björn Höcke, an interaction that was highly criticized by Höcke's own party members.
- Merz commended Voigt for his courage in engaging with Höcke, acknowledging that this act of dialogue helped expose Höcke's true views to the public.
- The election campaign kickoff in Meerane saw Merz, along with Saxon Minister President Michael Kretschmer and Thuringian State Chairman Mario Voigt, emphasizing their commitment to holding Germany in the middle and avoiding the extreme ideologies present in the AfD.
- With state elections scheduled for September 1st in both Saxony and Thuringia, the CDU will focus on presenting a moderate alternative to the nationalist agendas of parties like the AfD, hoping to regain its position as a dominant force in German politics.
