After Thuringia scandal: "Small coin" - SPD has its sights on Habeck - wave of exit in the FDP

The Thuringia disaster and the aftershocks: A current forecast shows: The Thuringians want to choose new and different. CDU country chief Mohring is now withdrawing.

• FDP politician Thomas Kemmerich let himself be elected Prime Minister of Thuringia with AfD votes and thus triggered a political quake.
• Kemmerich and CDU boss Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer have now resigned .
• Now Thuringia's CDU country chief Mike Mohring wants to withdraw.

Update 21:38: In the debate about the government crisis in Thuringia, SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich accused the Greens leader Robert Habeck of a despondent election tactics. "After the dramatic events in Thuringia, Mister Habeck reacted particularly electorally when he immediately told his party not to put aside the possibilities of coalitioning with the CDU and FDP," said Mützenich of the dpa.

After the election scandal in Thuringia, Habeck had praised CDU boss Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer for her demarcation from the AfD. Habeck also warned his party against general cancellations to the CDU and FDP at the federal level: "If the Greens and other parties now begin to exclude cooperation with the Union, we will drive the Union into the arms of the AfD," he said in an interview.

Mützenich emphasized: "In Thuringia, the basis of the German constitutional structure, the constitutional consensus, has been attacked, namely that one does not work with ethnic parties who disregard the Basic Law because they want another republic." Given this dimension of the events, he was surprised, "That this was answered by one or the other statement from the Green Party with a very small coin".

Mützenich asked the Green Party leader to name a coalition preference in good time before the next election. "Robert Habeck must make a clear statement before the next Bundestag election: How can the change he wants in the Federal Republic of Germany succeed?" Habeck had to position himself clearly at some point - "and shouldn't philosophize between one or the other", so Mützenich. The SPD, which has ruled the Union for years, is striving for an alliance with the Greens and the Left for the future.

New forecast shows: Thuringians now want to choose completely different - wave of withdrawals in the FDP

Update 2:18 p.m .: After the devastating election forecasts for the Thuringian FDP , numerous members of the Free Democrats nationwide have now taken action. According to a newspaper report by the Augsburger Allgemeine, you quit the party . In Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg alone, just under a hundred party memberships were registered in the ten days after Kemmerich's election, a survey by the Augsburger Allgemeine showed in several federal states. However, there were also applications for membership .

According to the survey, there were around 50 party withdrawals in Bavaria and 40 in Hesse - but at the same time the Hessian state association also received 19 applications to join the party. The FDP in Hamburg , where voting will take place next weekend , had received declarations of resignation from 25 members , and there were also ten applications for admission during the same period. According to the party office, the Thuringian FDP had to accept 16 withdrawals , compared to eight party entries. A nationwide election poll should also cause concern for the liberals.

Thuringia election: Ramelow makes concessions to the CDU meeting planned on Monday

Update of February 16, 2020, 8.52 a.m .: In order to get the Thuringian government crisis behind, ex-Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left) is now ready to make concessions to the CDU . In Erfurt, the 64-year-old told the German Press Agency that he was ready to agree with the CDU on tasks such as the state budget 2021 or an investment program for municipalities . "I hope that we can build so much trust that the state of a one-person government in Thuringia will not last another half a year," he said.

Ramelow made his concession immediately before a planned meeting of representatives of the Left, SPD and Greens as well as a working group of the CDU . At the appointment next Monday, opportunities for a political restart will be explored. As CDU general secretary Raymond Walk confirmed, the deadline remains - despite the personnel turmoil in his party that resulted from the resignation of CDU country chief Mike Mohring a few days ago.

The CDU is currently experiencing personnel turmoil at the federal level. AKK announced their resignation, Friedrich Merz is considered a potential successor. Now a prominent supporter said: Actor Til Schweiger raved in the highest tones of Merz.

Thuringia election: 6000 people take to the streets in Erfurt - rally on Domplatz is peaceful

Update 6:29 pm: The resignation of Thuringian FDP Prime Minister Thomas Kemmerich did not prevent thousands of people from taking to the streets in Erfurt on Saturday. They made their displeasure with the AfD air against the election of the head of government.

In the afternoon, 6000 people came to a rally on the cathedral square in Erfurt , as a police spokesman said. According to the police, up to 9,000 people took part in a demonstration train through the city center. The organizers - the German Federation of Trade Unions and the “Unteilbar” initiative - spoke of 18,000 participants throughout the day. According to the police , the protests were peaceful.

Speakers sharply criticized the CDU and FDP's actions in the Prime Minister election on February 5 during the rally. The FDP politician Kemmerich was elected head of government in Thuringia with votes from the CDU, FDP and largely from the AfD.

Thuringia election: CDU and FDP members of parliament have damaged voters' trust

The protests make it clear that the members of the state parliament from the CDU and FDP have damaged the trust of their voters . Meanwhile, this resentment also seems to have reached the so-called value union * . At least the self-proclaimed conservative group within the Union now wants to publicly differentiate itself from the AfD.

It was not only during the demonstration that there was massive criticism of the club's course. Now the Union of Values ​​has for the first time given a clear rejection of any collaboration with the AfD. In addition, Federal Chairman Alexander Mitsch also emphasized that the Left also did not consider any cooperation possible with the party. The union of values, "is fully behind the relevant decisions of the CDU federal party congress", says a decision that the federal executive board made on Saturday in Frankfurt on the suggestion of Mitsch.

New forecast shows: Thuringians now want to choose very differently - thousands are taking to the streets in Erfurt

Update from February 15, 2020, 3:54 p.m .: Even ten days after the election of Kemmerich (FDP) as Thuringian Prime Minister by votes of the AfD , the political quake is omnipresent in the state capital of Erfurt . On Saturday, several thousand people demonstrated against alliances with right-wing populists at all political levels. Posters of the demonstrators bore sayings such as "No pact with fascists" or "No place for Nazis". The rally took place on the Erfurt Cathedral Square.

The alliance Indivisible had previously called for the event with the motto "Not with us - no pact with fascists - never and nowhere". Those responsible explained that even after Kemmerich's withdrawal, it was clear that the firewall against fascists was deeply cracked and that there was a willingness within the CDU and FDP to work with the AfD . The President of the Federal Association of German Employers' Associations, Ingo Kramer , also expressed critical comments on the events in Erfurt and the AfD in general on Saturday.

Thuringia election: employer president sees Germany as a business location damaged by AfD

He sees the reputation of the Federal Republic damaged by the right-wing populist party . "In public perception it damages Germany as a business location," he told the Bielefeld newspaper Neue Westfälische . "Our image is slowly being damaged by events such as the election in Erfurt now or anti-Semitic attacks and the like, the good picture is slowly crumbling," Kramer continued.

Update from February 14, 2:08 p.m .: Thuringia's CDU country chief Mike Mohring withdraws from his post. He announced this step as a consequence of the crisis in the formation of a government in Thuringia. He did not want to stand in the way of a reorganization of his party, he said in a video on Twitter on Friday. The CDU politician said on Friday that he now wanted to propose an early party congress with new elections to the state executive, in which he would not stand again . "Our party needs pacification," he said.

A lot has happened this week. In Berlin and Erfurt. I would like to propose to our @cdu_thueringen state board that the planned #Landesparteitag be brought forward with regular elections to the state board and there a personnel and content list for the #Zukunft (1/2) pic.twitter.com/oyQRA09ieB

Thuringia election: CDU country chief Mohring threatens vote of confidence

Update at 12 o'clock: Eight Thuringian CDU state parliamentarians have requested a vote of confidence over Mike Mohring as parliamentary leader. A letter was received on Friday morning, a spokesman for the faction confirmed to the AFP news agency. The proposal is to be voted on next Wednesday in the next regular parliamentary group meeting. Last week, the 21-member parliamentary group had agreed on a new election of the parliamentary group board at the end of May, which Mohring should not run for again.

After the election of Thuringian short-term prime minister Thomas Kemmerich, Mohring had come under massive pressure with votes from the AfD and CDU. The top of the federal CDU saw this as a violation of the incompatibility decision, which prohibits cooperation between the CDU and AfD.

Thuringia election: State CDU does not need advice from Berlin, says Schäuble

Update at 10:34 a.m .: Thuringia does not need advice from Berlin . President of the Bundestag Wolfgang Schäuble emphasized this on Friday during a conversation with Deutschlandfunk. Accordingly, Schäuble appealed to the federal government to stay out of the solution to the political crisis in Thuringia. "How to do that now has to be decided by the elected people in Thuringia," he said with regard to the formation of a stable government despite difficult majority relations.

In Schäuble's opinion, the federal CDU did not exert too much influence on what was going on in the Free State immediately after Kemmerich was elected. "Berlin did not intervene, Berlin said its opinion," said the President of the Bundestag. The party leadership is also obliged to do so. And Schäuble added: "Of course this also applies to the Chancellor."

Thuringia election: According to a survey, 57 percent of Thuringians want new elections

Update, February 14, 7:48 a.m .: According to a survey published on Friday (February 14, 2020), 57 percent of Thuringians would like the current state parliament and thus new elections to be dissolved after the election debacle surrounding the new prime minister.

Another result of the Insa survey on behalf of the Thuringian newspapers of the Funke media group is that more than half of all respondents would like a second term in office for the “voted out” Thuringian left-wing leader Bodo Ramelow . CDU supporters should vote for Ramelow in the first ballot. Among CDU members themselves, this opinion was 40 percent.

In the Sunday poll, only 14 percent of those surveyed said they wanted to vote for the CDU in new elections. The leader was the party Die Linke with around 40 percent. Thus, the CDU would lose votes again after the 2019 election debacle. The FDP, whose members are also responsible for the scandal surrounding the prime minister election, would fail according to the survey in new elections at the 5 percent hurdle.

Thuringia election: AfD disturbs speech in the Bundestag

Update 5.44 p.m .: Around 600 people want to demonstrate in Kulmbach on Friday against an appearance by the Thuringian AfD parliamentary group leader Björn Höcke . In some churches in the city, the bells are ringing in protest against the right-wing politician during his planned speech between 7:33 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. The chosen time alludes to the years in which the National Socialist dictatorship ruled in Germany.

Thuringia election: CDU wants to learn lessons

Update 3:21 pm: Michael Kuffer speaks for the Union faction . He advocates learning from Thuringia. "We can learn lessons from Thuringia, or we can also mess it up right-wing." The AfD had deceived and tacted in Thuringia. In Thuringia it had become clear that the AfD "the deception is closer than the veracity of the political offer," said Kuffer. The Union politician describes Höcke as a Holocaust denier.

Kuffer also considers support from the Left Party to be excluded.

Update 2:43 pm: When Katrin Göring-Eckardt comes to the lectern, noises and sharp interjections come from the AfD group. Vice President of the German Bundestag, Thomas Oppermann, rebukes the AfD politicians. But even during the speech by the Green Party politician , the podium is unusually loud.

The Green Party politician comes from Thuringia and describes himself as a member of the GDR civil rights movement. She had taken to the streets herself against the GDR government - precisely because of this it was not easy for her “personally” when the coalition talks with the party were held in Thuringia .

Thuringian election: FDP leader Lindner apologizes - Vice-President Oppermann complains of interjections

"Because the Left Party there dealt with its past as SED successor party," says Goering-Eckardt, believing that the Left can be supported as a democratic party in Thuringia .

After her speech, Oppermann spoke again about the interjections : “It's a solid debate. I am far from strangling you. But the sounds you made before Katrin Göring-Eckhardt's speech suggest that you are not showing the same respect for a speaker as for a speaker. As President, I will always prevent that. "

Vice President of the German Bundestag Thomas Oppermann

© dpa / Michael Kappeler

Thuringia election: FDP leader Lindner apologizes - "We are ashamed ..."

Update 2:22 pm: "The motives for the candidacy were reversed," said Christian Lindner at the current hour on the Thuringia debacle in the Bundestag. Thomas Kemmerich had stood for his five-member FDP parliamentary group in Thuringia in order to represent a candidate from the democratic center. "We are embarrassed because we have enabled the AfD to mock parliamentary democracy," said Lindner. "And I apologize for that."

“Erfurt was a mistake. And we will do everything we can to prevent this from happening, ”says Lindner. One should not be instrumentalized to "hold stirrups" . "In Thuringia, the AfD is trying to build on National Socialism," said Lindner, and is receiving an unsatisfied murmur from the AfD parliamentary group.

FDP boss Christian Lindner

© dpa / Bernd von Jutrczenka

Update 2:13 p.m .: When Paul Ziemiak speaks at the current hour in the Bundestag on the Thuringian issue , nobody claps from the AfD parliamentary group. Regardless of the fact that Ziemiak accuses the AfD of accepting the accusation of right-wing fascism: "Höcke can be described as a fascist because Höcke is a fascist!" do not respect the democratic values ​​of the Federal Republic.

Regardless of the allegations regarding the democratic orientation of the AfD, Alexander Gauland , head of the federal AfD, prefers to shoot against the left. There he sees the enemy, he keeps short.

In his speech, the general secretary also emphasized the classic Kramp-Karrenbauer line , which may also have led the CDU in Thuringia to a greater or lesser extent in the critical decision regarding the election of the FDP politician Thomas Kemmerich: Cooperation with the party was also the left not justifiable. "The point now is that we strengthen the political center in this country and not the margins," said Ziemiak.

Update 2:06 p.m .: The Bundestag is currently dealing with the election debacle in Thuringia. CDU General Secretary Paul Ziemiak hands out against all sides. You can't work with the AfD, he says. Björn Höcke, head of the AfD in Thuringia, is described as a fascist because he is one. Cooperation with a right-wing party is not possible.

Thuringia election: Saxony's Prime Minister Kretschmer wants government of experts - Can the CDU "save face" this way?

Update 11:22: Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) sees the solution to the Thuringia debacle in a one-year government of experts. "Now an expert government would be appropriate, led by a recognized, neutral personality," Kretschmer told Wirtschaftswoche . This government under neutral leadership should rule for one year, the proposal said. After that, new state elections should be held, according to Kretschmer.

Only with this one-year transitional government will voters also be recognized, said Kretschmer. Saxony's prime minister had barely won a majority in the neighboring state in the autumn elections. "This would recognize the will of voters in the current situation and allow the actors to save face," said Kretschmer. Above all, the CDU could probably save face. This transition period could be a spark of hope for the party - because in the latest polls the Thuringian CDU has suffered massively from the election of the prime minister.

Thuringia election: Left boss talks about throwing a bouquet and makes serious accusations to Kemmerich

Update from 8.33 a.m .: The Thuringia crisis is still a hot topic in Germany. An independent candidate or a government of experts could be a way out of the Thuringia crisis, not only from Berlin. For ex-Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow , this is not the way to go. "It would be good if the Berlin party headquarters were quieter now," said Ramelow in an interview with the German press agency in Erfurt.

Susanne Hennig-Wellsow spoke plain text in a TV talk.

© picture alliance / dpa / Martin Schutt

Ramelow, whose party had won the state election , described an impetus by FDP leader Christian Lindner as unreasonable. He was the first to talk to a transitional head of government for Thuringia. At the moment, the loudest are the representatives of the parties, who played a part in the disaster that occurred on February 5 in the Prime Minister election in Thuringia. Ramelow: “Some advice is like blows. "

The goal is now a new prime minister election, which he wants to face. "The condition of all must be, it must not depend on AfD votes," said the left politician. It is important that there is quickly a government capable of acting that could ensure orderly new elections. He was ready to extend his hand towards the CDU and FDP. "We have no time to waste."

In a TV talk with Sandra Maischberger, Bodo Ramelow also commented on the Thuringian election scandal on Wednesday. He railed against the AfD. However, TV journalist Maischberger also offered the left-wing politician a head start with her questions - and hit a sensitive nerve with Ramelow *.

Thuringian election scandal: Thuringian left faction leader accuses Kemmerich of lust for power

Update from 7.28 a.m .: Even days after the Thuringian electoral scandal , in which Thomas Kemmerich (FDP) was elected Prime Minister with votes from the AfD, events are still an issue. The Thuringian Left Group leader Susanne Henning-Wellsow had thrown a bouquet of flowers at Kemmerich's feet. You do not regret your actions. One can not just assume Kemmerich naivety, said Hennig-Wellsow on Wednesday in the ZDF program "Markus Lanz" .

When asked why Kemmerich accepted the election, Henning-Wellsow made it clear: "I think it was pure lust for power ." She remembered how a few days earlier in the state parliament, together with survivors, the liberation of the concentration camp Buchenwald was thought. When the election results were announced, she felt "deep contempt" for Kemmerich. She therefore regrets her campaign with the bouquet “not a second”.

"Toilet deal" in Thuringian election scandal? Ramelow defends himself

Update from February 13, 6:04 am: In the Thuringian electoral scandal, details about an arrangement in the back room have now come to light. Bild.de reported on a toilet deal, with which Ramelow wanted to secure the next term as Prime Minister (see update below).

The politician has now defended himself and insured on Twitter that such a deal had never existed and that he had not spoken to the picture about it. He accused the newspaper of having "reinterpreted and removed its Facebook comment from the context".

There has never been such a deal and I didn't even talk to BILD about it! Dear editors, at least the TLZ colleagues have asked, they will immediately reinterpret and remove it from the context! Pity! pic.twitter.com/SlUG4SbGMl

Via Facebook, however, Ramelow admitted to having discussed this “variant” with his team. This variant is called pairing and it “is one of the unwritten laws in parliament”.

"Toilet deal" in Thuringia election? Ramelow's Facebook comment seems to betray strategy

Update at 13.08 clock: In the Thuringian electoral scandal , details of an explosive back room agreement have apparently come to light again. It has long been speculated why left-wing leader Bodo Ramelow even ran for the prime ministerial election without being able to rely on a majority in the state parliament. Because as managing prime minister, the politician had no time pressure. He could have continued to govern and negotiate for a majority.

But a Facebook comment from Ramelow now seems to reveal the strategy that the left-wing politician hoped to re-elect. The 63-year-old apparently wanted to secure his next term of office with a toilet deal , writes Bild.de. Apparently there was an agreement with the Thuringian CDU chief Mike Mohring , according to which at the crucial point in the election "4 deputies go to the toilet ... so it was discussed." To what extent Ramelow would have used? In the third ballot, a candidate no longer needs an absolute majority to be elected. If four members of the CDU had gone to the bathroom, the left, SPD and Greens , 44 in number, would have been enough to elect Ramelow against the votes of all other groups.

In this Facebook comment, Ramelow admits the toilet deal openly.

© Screenshot: Facebook

Ramelow defends this planned - but apparently failed maneuver in his Facebook comment. "I also practiced using the toilet during Althau's reign when the CDU had a majority vote," he continued to chatter out of the box. This is called pairing and this is not unusual. Thuringia's CDU chief Mike Mohring has not yet publicly commented on the incident.

Thuringia: Ramelow wants to dissolve Landtag with budget decision 2021

Update on February 12, 2020 at 9:48 a.m .: While Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted to the planned AfD ad with harsh criticism of the party, Thuringia's ex-Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow is preparing for his possible re-election. If this happens, he wants to make a transition and then initiate new elections . "If the CDU, FDP and Red-Red-Green agree that the state parliament will dissolve with the 2021 budget decision, that is the best way," Ramelow told the Thuringian newspapers of the Funke media group. This would be unusual in that a budget is usually decided at the end of the year.

However, Ramelow does not consider new elections to be a priority - although, in his own opinion, they would have a personally beneficial effect. "I would probably benefit from this in terms of my personal popularity ratings and the values ​​of my party," said the ex-prime minister. "But that's not how we should approach it. With all the deadlines to be observed, we would have a new government in 150 days at the earliest . We simply cannot afford that . "

Thuringia: CDU, Linke, SPD and Greens discuss the current government crisis on February 17

Representatives of the Left, the SPD, the Greens and the CDU plan to meet on February 17 to discuss the current government crisis. The Thuringian CDU does not want to actively vote for Ramelow. But he could be elected if the CDU abstains from voting.

Update 20:04: The old prime minister could soon be the new one in Thuringia. If it is up to red-red-green, Bodo Ramelow (left) should be re-elected Prime Minister of the Free State after the resignation of Thomas Kemmerich ( FDP ).

To get a majority in the state parliament, Ramelow would need at least individual votes from the CDU or the FDP . A problem that - as reported by bild.de - probably cannot be solved. Because both representatives of the CDU and the FDP are still not given the green light for the election of Ramelow .

Thuringia: CDU and FDP speak out against Ramelow election

CDU general secretary in Thuringia Raymond Walk said that his party would not vote for the former prime minister. Robert-Martin Montag, the parliamentary director of the Thuringian FDP , also said that none of his party colleagues wanted to vote for Ramelow .

We have our principles and clear decisions & ask to respect them. The difficult majority relationships are a task for all of us to deal prudently with this complicated situation. Therefore it is not helpful if now - from whichever side 1/2 https://t.co/ZnG28B29mK

“It is clear to us that we will not vote for Ramelow. There are too many differences. You can't ask us to do that, ”says the FDP man. New elections can hardly be prevented in Thuringia . However, the question of who will lead the country to these remains open.

Thuringia: AfD wants to file a complaint against Merkel - she counters sharply

Update at 6:25 p.m .: Chancellor Angela Merkel ( CDU ) sharply attacked the AfD at a meeting of the Union faction on Tuesday. "The AfD has an agenda," said Merkel to the participants in the meeting. “And this agenda is also a particular challenge for us, especially when it comes to the CDU , because it is very clear that democracy is to be destroyed. (...) That you want to undermine them. "

That would be noticed every week of the session in the Bundestag, the Chancellor continues. It is not known whether Angela Merkel's statements were in response to the AfD's announcement that she would file a lawsuit against the Chancellor. With regard to the election in Thuringia , the Chancellor emphasized again that there is a vote "that we do not do anything together with the AfD ".

After the election scandal in Thuringia: Kretschmer and Lindner call for independent candidates

Update at 5:00 p.m .: After the election crisis in Thuringia , a solution is still being sought. A completely new proposal came from Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer ( CDU ) and FDP boss Christian Lindner . Both politicians have spoken out in favor of an independent candidate taking over the position of prime minister in Thuringia and thus preparing the Free State for new elections.

"The only thing that now helps in this difficult situation is a neutral personality that is borne by everyone and that ensures that new elections can take place in this country in an agreed time of maybe twelve months," said Kretschmer in the ARD noon magazine , According to Christian Lindner , Stefan Kaufmann, the President of the Thuringian Constitutional Court, could take on this task.

A similar measure has also been used to overcome the Ibiza crisis in Austria, Lindner continues. Meanwhile, the CDU / CSU parliamentary group's parliamentary director, Michael Grosse-Brömer, continues to appeal to the SPD and the Greens to propose an alternative candidate who can unite a parliamentary majority.

Election crisis in Thuringia: Thomas Kemmerich (FDP) will not represent Thuringia in the Federal Council

Update at 16:16: Thuringia will not take part in the Federal Council meeting on Friday after the election scandal last week. Short-term Prime Minister Thomas Kemmerich would be entitled to participate even after his resignation, but wants to do without it. Kemmerich ( FDP ) would currently be the only person entitled to vote for the Free State in the Federal Council. Due to his absence from the session on Friday, the four votes to which Thuringia is entitled will be absent from the votes in the regional chamber.

However, the effects on the processes of the regional chamber will be limited. For Thuringia , officials from the state representative will be present in the Federal Council, but they do not have the right to vote and rather have observer status.

After the election scandal in Thuringia: Björn Höcke wants to file a criminal complaint against Merkel

Update at 2:43 p.m .: While the indications are thickening that the election scandal in Thuringia was not just a coincidence, but rather a card game, the AfD has already taken care of the next scandal development as a result of the Thuringian political quake. The party wants to report Angela Merkel because of the alleged coercion of the FDP politician Thomas Kemmerich and also submit a legal warning with an injunction .

One of the driving forces behind the AfD lawsuit against Chancellor Angela Merkel is obviously the Thuringian AfD parliamentary group leader and party right wing Björn Höcke . He wrote on Twitter on Tuesday morning: "I am filing criminal charges against Merkel for the Federal Chancellor's coercion of the Prime Minister." Höcke further stated that it was "unacceptable" that the Chancellor had forced an elected Prime Minister of another party to resign.

It is unacceptable that the Federal Chancellor forced an elected Prime Minister of another party to resign. It is therefore important that the display of the resistance to these methods is documented. # Thuringia #Kemmerich #Merkel pic.twitter.com/fuf43ADct4

Election scandal in Thuringia apparently no coincidence: what did Kemmerich and Mohring know?

First report from February 11, 2020, 1:59 p.m .:

Berlin / Erfurt - How unexpectedly did the uproar in the prime minister election in Thuringia really come for the leading CDU and FDP politicians? The leaders of both parties were extremely surprised , sometimes horrified, when FDP politician Thomas Kemmerich was elected in Thuringia with votes from the AfD. Since then, heads have rolled: after only one day in office, Kemmerich resigned at the urging of FDP leader Lindner and Thuringian CDU leader Mike Mohring will probably also step down in May . On Monday the next resignation hammer: CDU boss Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announced her resignation * - and with it automatically the renunciation of the Federal Chancellery .

Election scandal in Thuringia: CDU and FDP drop dramatically in voter polls

At the latest now it is clear: The election debacle in Thuringia has turned politics not only there, but nationwide. In polls by voters, the CDU and FDP are on historic low-level flights *, and who now takes over the Federal Chancellery after Angela Merkel is just as unclear as the favorite for Thomas Kemmerich's successor in the Thuringian state parliament. In the midst of this chaos, one now looks at one of the important pullers in the Thuringian CDU and close confidants of Mohring: Karl-Eckhard Hahn , head of the scientific service of the CDU parliamentary group, described days before the election like an FDP candidate can also be elected Prime Minister with votes from the AfD and CDU .

Three days before the far-reaching election, he published a text in the debate portal The European, which is declared as a purely “personal view”. In his opinion article, Hahn asked the question of how it should be assessed if a government came into office with the votes of AfD MPs. And to a certain extent he gave himself an answer by criticizing the left-wing state chairwoman Susanne Hennig-Wellsow for her attempt to " scandalize the AfD's approval of the candidate for a middle-class bourgeois party".

Read also: The AfD is already planning the next blow against the federal CDU: The AfD party executive wants to bring Chancellor Angela Merkel to court because of the events in Thuringia *.

Prime Minister election in Thuringia may not have been a coincidence - indications of collusion are increasing

This project of the left is " democratically questionable because the citizens of Thuringia are represented not by 68 but by 90 deputies," wrote the CDU politician. And he also emphasized that the 22 deputies of the AfD were just as democratically legitimized by the Thuringian voters as those of the other groups. Hahn also made it clear in his article that he saw no danger in electing a prime minister with AfD votes.

Angela Merkel also described the Union of Values ​​as a "cancerous growth". Find out what is behind this association here. *

Hahn's essay, which appeared so shortly before the election, is another clear sign that Kemmerich's election with AfD votes was no accident . Immediately after the Thuringian scandal, there were suspicions that FDP leader Lindner had also given the green light in advance for a victory for Kemmerich with the support of the AfD . Lindner had these rumors denied via the FDP Twitter account.

Regarding today's reporting by @BIDeutschland (Business Insider), we note: At no time did the FDP party chairman, @c_lindner, internally or publicly approve of any kind of cooperation with the AfD. #Thuringia

The former government parties, the Left, the SPD and the Greens nevertheless suspect a card game, writes the Tagesspiegel. Further developments may show whether this was actually the case.

Incidentally, the events in Thuringia and AKK's resignation on Monday were also an issue for “Hart but fair”. A Green politician took a verbal blow on TV against Lindner, who had it all *. In the meantime, head Wulf Schmiese billed German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the ZDF “today journal” *.

* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen Digital editors network

cia, dpa

List of rubric lists: © dpa / Kay Nietfeld