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Markus Lanz and his guests on the differences over the question of Taurus deliveries to Ukraine - and on the elections in the East.
Hamburg - The closer the state elections get in the fall, the louder, often dramatic, and sometimes hysterical the discussion becomes about what could happen, what could happen if the AfD becomes the strongest faction in the state parliaments.
Markus Lanz and his guests also tried this topic.
Above all, the lawyer Bijan Moini, head of the “Society for Civil Rights”, tried to answer the question, what if?
If, for example, the coordination between the other parties does not work and no common opposing candidate is put forward.
In Thuringia in particular, the constitution is formulated unclearly and allows the interpretation that a simple majority of yes votes would be sufficient in the third round of the election for prime minister.
Threatening prospects – not just in the East
In recent years, especially in Poland and Hungary, we have seen how easy it is to rebuild and undermine a democratic system.
“The obstructionist power of the state parliament president could be played out in a way that we have not yet seen in our democracy,” warned Moini on Markus Lanz on ZDF.
And the president of the state parliament is usually represented by the strongest faction, probably the AfD.
TV talk with Markus Lanz on January 31, 2024 © Screenshot ZDF
A regular, correct, trustworthy parliamentary life could be undermined, positions could be filled by loyalists, the state broadcasting treaty could be terminated, in short: enormous chaos could be caused.
Even if the judiciary and the judicial system (still) operate independently and many laws that violate the constitution are overturned.
But until that happens, laws passed by a possible AfD government would apply.
Threatening prospects - perhaps the massive protests against the AfD in recent weeks have come just in time.
Change of topic to Ukraine
Democracy is also not going well in Ukraine, at least if you believe reports and reports from independent local journalists.
Mascha Gessen is among others who paints a skeptical picture of a country and its president in the current issue of the New Yorker.
The longer the war lasts, the worse it is for democracy, one might say, and there is no end to the war in sight.
Markus Lanz on ZDF |
The guests of the broadcast on January 31, 2024 |
Norbert Röttgen |
CDU politician |
Veit Medick |
journalist |
Sarah Pagung |
Political scientist |
Bijan Moini |
jurist |
As the CDU politician Norbert Röttgen explained to Markus Lanz on ZDF, Putin has geared the Russian economy and society entirely to war, producing ammunition and weapons much faster than Ukraine and, above all, western countries.
Political scientist Sarah Pagung, an expert on Eastern Europe at the Körber Foundation, also confirmed that Russia is now investing gigantic sums in armaments and is thus also offsetting the West's sanctions.
Even in terms of the number of recruits, Russia has much more potential given its much larger population and also the greater ruthlessness of the regime.
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Weapons deliveries from the West can only compensate for this to a limited extent; an expansion has been discussed again and again since the beginning of the war.
At the moment it's about the Taurus cruise missiles, which Olaf Scholz is reluctant to deliver. Norbert Röttgen didn't know why either: “The Chancellor isn't talking to us, so we can only speculate.
My theory is that the Chancellor doesn’t want it because it’s too effective.”
Taurus for Ukraine: Röttgen brushes off concerns
The reasons are probably a little more complex, as Veit Medick, head of the politics department at Stern, explained: Legally, it is not uncomplicated if a complex weapons system like the Taurus is delivered to Ukraine and possibly - whether this is actually the case is controversial - would have to be fed with data by German soldiers on site.
Medick asked whether this one weapon system could decisively change the course of the war, pointing out that this argument has been expressed again and again in the last two years.
Röttgen didn't want to know anything about it, more weapons, more ammunition should be delivered, then everything will be fine, that's how you could understand the CDU man.
Norbert Röttgen does not seem to have noticed that an increasing number of Ukrainians are now having doubts about whether this war can be won, as Zelensky has been promising them for almost two years.
However, we are talking about a war on our doorstep that is bringing with it a level of destruction in Europe that has not been seen since the Second World War: “Are we not clear enough about what this war is?” asked Markus Lanz thoughtfully, showing understanding for it The desire for the war to end as soon as possible, but also the danger that could arise from a defeat for Ukraine.
At the moment the West is maneuvering around, seeming to want to avoid a decision for which there may not be much time left.
Because if Donald Trump were to be elected again in November, the situation could change very quickly.
(Markus Meyns)