Party - Thuringia's interior minister warns of AfD victory in state elections
Thuringia's Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD) is very concerned about next year's state elections in view of the popularity of the AfD. "Democracy is under pressure. And in a way that we have never seen before," he told the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper (Thursday). "The right-wing extremists of the AfD around Björn Höcke are trying to undermine democracy from within by any means necessary." Höcke is the AfD state leader and parliamentary group leader in the Thuringian state parliament. "We democrats must face up to the fight, for which we are still ill-equipped," said Maier.
The SPD politician spoke out, for example, in favor of clarifying the constitutional article in Thuringia on the election of the Minister President. In his opinion, the current wording does not rule out the possibility of a candidate being elected in the third ballot with a single vote, even though all other MPs vote against them. "We have to make the constitution weatherproof," said Maier. This must be done very quickly. He warned: "I sometimes have the feeling that we are sleepwalking into quite a disaster and will wake up on September 2 in an authoritarian system."
The three eastern German states of Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg have state elections next year, and the AfD was recently number one in the polls in all three states. The AfD state association in Saxony was recently classified as a secured right-wing extremist organization by the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution; in Thuringia, the state AfD has been classified as such for some time. In Thuringia, Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (Left Party) is currently leading a minority government of the Left, SPD and Greens.
People no longer vote for the AfD as a protest party. "The majority of voters are now convinced of their stance," said Maier. "I am concerned that we were wrong to assume that their voter potential would end at 20 or 25 percent. It is now clear that this cap no longer exists." Many people are very worried about the many crises. At times, they also had to worry about existential questions such as: Do I have enough money to heat my home?
On average, people in the East earn 25 percent less and their assets are not even half as large as the average in the West. "These are social problems that are crying out to heaven. And if we don't make these problems an issue, then politics will lose part of the population," said Maier. "I believe that the SPD in the federal government has neglected the issue of the East for many years."
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- Despite the concerns of Thuringia's Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD), the AfD, led by Björn Höcke, is gaining popularity in Thuringia's upcoming state elections, which could potentially pose a threat to democracy.
- In response to the AfD's rise, Maier advocated for clarifying the constitutional article in Thuringia regarding the election of the Minister President, aiming to prevent a single vote from electing a controversial candidate in the third ballot.
- The AfD has been classified as a right-wing extremist organization in both Thuringia and Saxony, raising concerns about its influence in the upcoming state elections in Thuringia, Saxony, and Brandenburg.
- The current popularity of the AfD is not due to protests, as Maier noted, but rather because a majority of voters are now fully committed to the party, potentially surpassing the initial 20-25% voter potential.
- In an interview with SZ, Maier highlighted social issues in the East, such as lower earnings and fewer assets, as factors contributing to the AfD's popularity, arguing that the SPD has neglected these issues for many years.
- With the upcoming state elections and the threat of the AfD, it is essential for democratic parties in Thuringia, such as the SPD, to engage and address the concerns of voters to prevent further erosion of democracy.
Source: www.stern.de
