- The south does not dismiss the possibility of dialogue with the left – as stated by Voigt.
In Thuringia, CDU's leading figure, Mario Voigt, remains firm against joining forces with the Left, despite predictions of a close outcome in the upcoming state election. Voigt declared in Erfurt, "Our standpoint remains consistent: no alliance with the AfD and no coalition with the Left."
He reacted to remarks made by Bavaria's Minister-President Markus Söder (CSU), who hasn't dismissed the possibility of a coalition union with the Left at the state level following the impending elections in Thuringia and Saxony.
Only unusual majorities seem imminent. Söder expressed, during an ARD summer interview, "I'd give Mario Voigt and Michael Kretschmer the liberty to decide, only not with the AfD." Voigt asserted that Thuringia will chart its own course, and he anticipates the Left to lose influence if Bodo Ramelow is no longer the Minister-President.
Current surveys indicate that beyond the AfD, a coalition of CDU, BSW, and SPD has a majority in Thuringia, as does one of CDU, BSW, and Left. The CDU polls between 21 and 23 percent, the BSW between 17 and 20 percent, the Left between 13 and 14 percent, and the SPD between 6 and 7 percent.
Ramelow up for negotiations
Ramelow, the Left's top candidate, has consistently expressed his willingness to engage in talks with all democratic parties to hinder the AfD from gaining power in Thuringia. The AfD leads in polls with 30 percent, and all other parties have rejected collaboration with them.
The CDU has a resolution against collaborating with the AfD and Left. CDU leader Friedrich Merz has affirmed his commitment to this. Ramelow, hailing from West Germany, has expressed his bafflement at the Union considering working with former SED member Sahra Wagenknecht, but not with him, who has no SED background. Söder commented, "I must admit, that's quite a contradiction." He described Ramelow as holding "some peculiar views," but he is "something else" when compared to Wagenknecht.
New state parliaments will be chosen in Thuringia and Saxony on September 1.
Despite Bavaria's Minister-President Markus Söder's consideration of a coalition with the Left in Thuringia and Saxony's upcoming elections, Mario Voigt, CDU's leading figure in Bavaria's neighboring state of Thuringia, remains steadfast in his opposition to such an alliance. Voigt's stance against collaborating with the Left and the AfD in Thuringia aligns with the CDU's resolution against working with the AfD.
