Community voting events - The AfD is exerting influence on the CDU's actions in Thuringia's regional legislatures.
The recent unsuccessful attempt at gaining power through a giant campaign by the AfD may not have worked out as planned, but they're expected to have a greater presence in Thuringia's local councils and city councils in the foreseeable future. "It will become increasingly challenging to keep them out, and there might be instances where it's no longer feasible to do so," says political scientist Oliver Lembcke to the German News Agency regarding the recent elections in Thuringia.
The strength these right-wing extremists have gained in local representation will make the wall issue more symbolic and burdensome for the CDU. Thuringia saw the election of new district presidents, mayors, and mayors, as well as the re-election of numerous communal parliaments on Sunday. Although the AfD didn't come out on top in the first round of district presidency elections, they're likely to be the leading force in the district councils.
What's next for the wall?
Michael Brychcy, the president of the Thuringian Association of Municipalities and Cities and a CDU member, agrees with this assessment. If AfD reps make their way into communal parliaments, it'll be difficult to continue to pretend the wall exists, he says. The CDU has a resolution that incompatibility exists with the AfD and the Left.
The Thuringian AfD is considered a right-wing extremist party by the state protection department and is closely monitored. No significant success for the AfD or its notorious leader Björn Höcke was seen in Sunday's district president and mayor elections. The party, which is classified as right-wing extremist by the state protection authority, still has a chance to take home some of the top communal positions in the upcoming runoff elections. Right now, they're slightly ahead in the Altenburg district.
Neo-Nazi Friedrich Langegger made it into the runoff in the Hildburghausen district. His "Alliance for the Future Hildburghausen" has shifted into the leading neo-Nazi group in the area, according to the 2022 Constitutional Protection Report. There was no AfD candidate there.
The AfD is making strides in local representation - they're leading in 8 of the 17 district councils and in the city council of the free city of Gera. Results are still being counted on Monday morning, with the CDU taking the lead at 27.6% and the AfD at 26.4%. However, the counting in the state capital Erfurt was incomplete, meaning the results could change. While the AfD saw a near ten percentage point increase compared to 2019, the CDU maintained its vote share. The Left, SPD, and Greens, who govern the state, took losses. In the Sonneberg district, where the AfD first elected a state president, the party held a clear lead when counting ended.
Lembcke predicts the AfD will gain more "pressure power." They'll be "included," "heard," and "voted with." He foresees that the AfD will be able to more effectively challenge their exclusion from communal governing bodies.
Höcke had previously warned that the AfD wants to become the strongest force at the municipal level, and that a steady foundation is necessary to achieve success at the state level. A new state parliament will be elected in Thuringen on September 1st. The AfD has topped the polls for months but has recently lost some support, now standing at values between 29-30%.
The party has recently experienced a crisis at the federal level due to the controversial statements made by AfD European election candidate Maximilian Krah about the SS and the spy allegations involving one of his employees. Investigations are ongoing against the number two on the AfD European election list, Petr Bystron, for the suspicion of bribery and money laundering. The AfD has managed to give itself a terrible image in recent weeks.
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- Despite not winning the district president elections in Thuringia, the AfD is expected to have a significant presence in many of the local councils and city councils in the future.
- The recent local elections in Thuringia saw the election of new district presidents, mayors, and mayors, as well as the re-election of numerous communal parliaments, with Sunday being the day of the vote.
- The Thuringian CDU has a resolution that incompatibility exists with the AfD and the Left, making it challenging for the party to cooperate with the AfD in communal parliaments.
- Michael Brychcy, the president of the Thuringian Association of Municipalities and Cities and a CDU member, agrees that it will be difficult to maintain the wall's symbolic and burdensome presence if AfD reps are elected into communal parliaments.
- The German Press Agency reported that the recent elections in Thuringia saw the AfD leading in 8 of the 17 district councils and in the city council of the free city of Gera, with results still being counted on Monday morning.
- The AfD is also making gains in the district council of the District of Hildburghausen, where neo-Nazi Friedrich Langegger made it into the runoff, although there was no AfD candidate in the district.
- The CDU maintained its vote share in the recent local elections, while the Left, SPD, and Greens, who govern the state, took losses. The AfD saw a near ten percentage point increase compared to 2019.
- Björn Höcke, the notorious leader of the Thuringian AfD, has warned that the party wants to become the strongest force at the municipal level to achieve success at the state level, indicating the party's ambitious plans for local and state elections in Thuringia.
Source: www.stern.de
