BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th February, 2020) Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), whose former leader is Chancellor Angela Merkel, has plunged into a deep turmoil after an unlikely liberal was elected head of the eastern state of Thuringia with the help of Alternative for Germany (AfD) in what was a major breach of the post-war political consensus to not cooperate with the far right.
The February 5 vote in Thuringia was the first time in Germany's modern history when a far-right party helped put a minister president into office. Though the CDU and its Socialist Democratic allies, as a rule, do not work with parties on the far left or far right, the CDU's Thuringia branch decided alongside AfD to support Thomas Kemmerich, a member of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) party, in his bid for the state's leadership.
Even though this only happened at the local level, the unprecedented alliance has turned the Thuringia election into a national political earthquake, showing more than ever the difficulties Conservatives are having in positioning themselves against the rise of the AfD.
SUPPOSED ALLIANCE SPARKS NATIONWIDE OUTRAGE
Though AfD and the CDU backed Kemmerich, they never actually concluded a pact with the FDP or with each other. In fact, the parties took this opportunity to oust a far-left coalition led by Die Linke party. Whatever the reason, the actions of the CDU's Thuringia branch triggered disputes within the party, with Merkel slamming last week's election as "unforgivable." The chancellor was then joined by CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in urging Kemmerich to step down and seek a new election.
However, the vote demonstrated that Kramp-Karrenbauer's authority as party leader was not respected, since the CDU branch joined forces with AfD after a mere 5 hours of negotiation. Christian Hirte, the Secretary of State at the Economy and Energy Ministry and government commissioner for regional states in eastern Germany, responsible for coordinating Federal policy, was fired by Merkel, after he congratulated himself on Twitter for the election.
Following Hirte's dismissal, Kramp-Karrenbauer announced she was stepping down as party leader and would not run for the chancellorship.
AfD REACTION TO THE REGIONAL ELECTION
After the election, Alexander Gauland, the national spokesman for AfD, congratulated the newly elected minister-president of Thuringia, and praised the party's regional branch for exhibiting reasonable political behavior that demonstrates that the "old" parties, including the CDU, Socialists and FDP, could no longer ignore the will of voters and exclude AfD.
However, given the backlash that the vote triggered, Kemmerich resigned on February 6.
In an interview with Sputnik, the deputy chairman of the AfD parliamentary group, Leif-Erik Holm, slammed "the manipulations by the old parties" as unworthy of parliamentary democracy, saying that the vote was fair and free.
"This has damaged the confidence of the Germans in the democratic process. Democracy is not that people have to vote repeatedly until Merkel accepts the result. It is unforgivable that an elected prime minister, a sovereign regional parliament and a democratic process are deliberately damaged. What the Berlin political bubble and its journalistic appendix are doing here sharpens the divisions of society," Holm added.
Meanwhile, Jorg Meuthen, a member of the European parliament from AfD and federal spokesman for the party, told Sputnik that Kramp-Karrenbauer's resignation was "the minimum required after what happened in Thuringia," though it did not solve the CDU's actual problem.
According to Meuthen, the main issue is that the CDU is "completely gutted in terms of staff and content of its programs," a situation he attributed to Merkel. He called for the complete renewal of the CDU's leadership to stop the party's "agony."
"The CDU needs a fresh start if the party does not want to follow the demise of the Socialist SPD. It can only mean Merkel's resignation, clearing the way for a new political beginning. The Christian-Democratic Union must now decide: either for the left front, including the heirs of the communist SED, or for a citizens' majority with the AfD," Meuthen added.
CDU'S FUTURE AFTER CONTROVERSIAL THURINGIA VOTE
With the seat at the top of Germany's most powerful party since 1945 now vacant, a war of succession and discussions over the country's political direction for the post-Merkel period have begun. The most promising candidate is Armin Laschet, the 58-year-old minister president of North-Rhine Westphalia. He supports Merkel's so-called open door refugee policy and is expected to receive Merkel's backing.
On the other hand, there is the conservative right-winger Friedrich Merz, who was defeated by Kramp-Karrenbauer in the 2018 party election. His victory as party leader will mean a departure from the Merkel era and a return to the CDU's conservative roots. Unlike Laschet, Merz has harshly criticized the chancellor's lack of leadership and her migration policy.
Another candidate is Health Minister Jens Spahn, who champions both "migration and patriotism" in an attempt to bring together Merkel's immigration policy and the will of the right wing to regain sovereignty. Spahn came third in the 2018 CDU leadership contest.
Finally, there is Markus Soder, the minister president of Bavaria from the CDU's sister-party, the CSU. He has embraced the "green" agenda and is currently preparing his party for a coalition with the Green party in Bavaria. He is against any collaboration with AfD, as is his mentor, former minister president of Bavaria and current Minister of Interior Horst Seehofer. In addition, he is resolutely against Merkel's relaxed stance toward undocumented migrants.
REACTION TO THE VOTE ACROSS EUROPE
European media has dubbed the recent vote in Thuringia an "earthquake" for the CDU and Germany, predicting that the new leadership will either continue Merkel's policies or make a shift to the right. The direction will depend on who wins the leadership contest.
Commenting on the situation, Michel Liegeois, a professor at Belgium's UCLouvain university, told Sputnik that the German chancellor was currently facing "a double problem," namely the new election in Thuringia, which could worsen the party's position in the region, and the search for Kramp-Karrenbauer's replacement.
"If the successor represents the right of the party, opposed to the migration policy of Merkel or to the ban of nuclear energy, this would mean the end of the GroKo, the coalition with the SPD [the Social Democratic Party]. The CDU would probably not be strong enough to govern alone, as in the past," Liegeois said, suggesting that in that case the party could accept the idea of an alliance with AfD.
Meanwhile, Natacha Polony, a political analyst in Paris, said that the CDU had been unable to restrain the progress of the far right, which has been a common trend across Europe following the 2015 migration crisis.
"The CDU finds itself in this situation because it has been unable to check the progress of the far right. It is the same everywhere in Europe. And commentators tell us that it was because of Angela Merkel's generosity in 2015 when she opened her arms to a million Syrian refugees." Polony said.
Bodo Ramelow from Die Linke, whom Thomas Kemmerich had succeeded, has announced that he was ready to run for the post again.
