Mario Voigt, CDU's top candidate in Thuringia, is arguing with Björn Höcke on television today. AfD politicians are often invited to talk shows and take part in debates before elections.
But there has never been a duel in premium broadcast time (8:15 p.m., Welt TV), especially with one of the most radical representatives. Can the duel bring about movement? Weaken the populists? Unmask HöCke? CSU leader Markus Söder says he would have “no problem” with the format of the direct duel.. The CDU Prime Minister in Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, said he would not give the AfD a platform. Left leader Martin Schirdewan hissed that the CDU was “turning the brown agitator into a serious conversation partner”. And political scientist Wolfgang Schroeder said the duel was a mistake.