We won't let go of the AfD
**Joachim Gauck warns the Union about difficult decisions after the September state elections. Coalitions with the AfD will not happen, believes the former Federal President. In Thuringia, the party might be better off with the Left Party under Ramelow than with the BSW under Wagenknecht, he says on Lanz.
Former Federal President Joachim Gauck warns against coalitions with the AfD after the September state elections in Eastern Germany. Gauck is convinced: "The CDU in Thuringia will form a coalition, but certainly not with the AfD." The politician made these remarks on Tuesday evening on Markus Lanz on ZDF. He adds: "There are coalitions that no normal person would wish for. But after the state elections in Thuringia, Saxony, and Brandenburg in September, the pressure to form a coalition will increase. And then you have to ask yourself if it isn't easier to coalition with the Left Party under Ramelow than, for example, with the BSW under Wagenknecht. I don't wish that on anyone."
At the same time, Gauck calls for the AfD to be combated. "We won't get rid of the AfD because we have a third of the population in modern societies and states that fears change. And if these fears are not addressed by traditional parties, then they will thrive." It is wrong, however, to label the AfD and its voters as Nazis. Gauck: "If we call them all Nazis, we're just spinning. The real problem is the unease with liberal democracy."
The Union is facing tough times, says Gauck. The Union needs a stable, value-conservative offer now to separate value-conservative voters from reactionary voters.
Biden and Trump
The current episode of "Markus Lanz" was apparently recorded on the previous Friday, before Joe Biden withdrew his presidential candidacy in the USA. Biden made important and good politics, assesses Gauck the work of the US President in the last four years. "He allowed us to see our transatlantic partners as reliable partners."
As for Biden's challenger Donald Trump, Gauck is also pessimistic. Markus Lanz mentions that Trump confused Joe Biden with Barack Obama and Viktor Orban with the Turkish president in the fall of 2020. He also refers to numerous psychological reports from 2017 that attributed mental instability to Trump, but without examining him personally.
Trump managed to appeal to a specific voter base in the USA, analyzes Gauck. His popularity is an effective element of communicative presence that works regardless of whether the person is capable. Gauck: "You have to remember the German history. We had a very specific type there, which people called the 'Fuhrer'. And he had a gift for media presence that had incredible and manipulative effects, so that an entire country was not only led but also manipulated, simply through a talent or a gift, in a way that a part of the population needed - to be there and to signal: I can do it."
When it comes to communication, Gauck has little good to say about the federal government. Communication is an essential element of politics, he says. "If you have many deficits, the tragic thing can happen that you can't convey your super program, that you have a super program."**
The communication skills of leadership personnel vary. "We are still in the process of work." Changing a Nordic type like Chancellor Scholz fundamentally cannot be done. Gauck also notes positive approaches: At times, Scholz gives off a feeling that people could trust him. However, that is not enough. Currently, Scholz needs to communicate why he was unable to keep his promise to expel more criminal migrants in the past. But, "Explaining what didn't work is difficult. Someone who can do that is Robert Habeck. But that is also a delicate matter. It's nice when someone communicates openly. But it's difficult when someone communicates something that people don't want to hear," says Gauck.
The AfD's presence in Eastern German politics, specifically in the upcoming Brandenburg State Elections, is a topic of concern for many. Gauck reiterates his stance against coalitions with the AfD, stating that the CDU in Brandenburg should consider forming a coalition with other parties instead.
In the thriving realm of German politics, the AfD's influence extends beyond Thuringia and Brandenburg, reaching Saxony's state elections as well. Gauck maintains his belief that coalitions with such a party are not in the best interest of the CDU or the nation.
Former President Joachim Gauck's warnings about coalitions with the AfD in eastern German state elections do not only apply to the CDU but echo across various political parties in Germany, underscoring the importance of shaping politics in a manner that resonates with the majority while combatting the AfD's growing influence.
