SPD city councils on the side of AfD and right-wing extremists: Thuringia's SPD leader Maier criticizes the deselection of the mayor

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Tilo Kummer

Photo: Michael Reichel / dpa

Thuringia's SPD leader Georg Maier regretted the deselection of Hildburghausen Mayor Tilo Kummer (left).

"Great political damage has been done," Maier told the German Press Agency on Sunday after the preliminary results were announced.

Kummer's deselection was initiated by city councilors of the AfD, SPD, the voter groups fire brigade and Pro HBN and a city councilor of the right-wing extremist group Bündnis Zukunft Hildburghausen, which led to controversy within the SPD.

A city councilor then resigned from the SPD.

»The red line has been crossed«

Maier said on Sunday that party order proceedings would be initiated against the other two SPD city councillors.

The state party executive had already decided on Thursday before the deselection.

The 55-year-old, who is also interior minister in Thuringia, again condemned the fact that the vote-out procedure was enforced together with representatives of the AfD and the right-wing extremist group.

"The red line was crossed there." There were apparently some issues between Kummer and the people of southern Thuringia - including a swimming pool, problems in a kindergarten and the fire brigade.

"Measure with far-reaching consequences"

At the same time, he questioned whether the means of voting out in the Kummers case was proportionate.

"To vote out a democratically elected mayor is a measure with far-reaching consequences," said Maier.

If there were criminally relevant allegations, it would be something else.

But that was not the case with Kummer.

“From a local political point of view, how are we supposed to find people for such offices if they are constantly in danger of being voted out in the event of disputes or differences of opinion?” Maier asked.

There were problems in Hildburghausen.

In his opinion, however, these would not have had the character “to vote out a democratically elected mayor again”.

On Sunday in Hildburghausen, according to a preliminary result, 2853 people voted for Kummer's deselection and 1390 against it.

According to the head of voting, 9,338 citizens aged 16 and over were entitled to vote.

The left-wing politician does not want to run again for mayor of Hildburghausen after being voted out.

"I hope that the next mayor of Hildburghausen belongs to the democratic spectrum," said Kummer on Sunday after the preliminary results of his vote were announced.

ktz/dpa