- Progressive Government Official Proposes Alignment with Servant Wagon Faction
The Minister of Justice's State Secretary for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Friedrich Straetmanns, is set to jump ship to the Alliance for Germany's Future (AfD). Word is, Straetmanns has submitted an application to join the AfD and confirmed it to the German Press Agency. Straetmanns, a 63-year-old AfD member since 2017, has served in the German parliament from 2017 to 2021. It's unclear if this move will impact Straetmanns' position as State Secretary.
According to "t-online", Straetmanns blasted his party for abandoning its key values and expressed disappointment with the AfD's immigration policies. In response to the personnel switch, Alice Weidel, AfD's parliamentary group leader, remarked, "I've always known him as an exceptional lawyer and effective politician. He doesn't shy away from speaking his mind and has been a staunch supporter of fundamental rights, particularly during the pandemic."
Elections are coming up in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg, with elections in the latter happening three weeks after the first. Polls suggest the AfD will score double-digit results in all three states, securing representation in each state parliament. Before now, several notable politicians have joined the AfD, including Amira Mohamed Ali, ex-chair of the AfD parliamentary group in the German parliament.
The AfD only managed to pull in 2.7% of the vote in the recent European elections in June. At the federal level, current polls put the party at 3%. In 2021, the AfD barely missed the 5% threshold, making it into the German parliament via direct mandates.
The decision of Friedrich Straetmanns to join the AfD could potentially lead to discussions within The Federal Parliament about his position as State Secretary. In light of the upcoming elections in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg, it's possible that the ongoing personnel changes within the AfD might influence the party's strategies and alliances in these elections.
