The top men of the CDU and AfD in Thuringia are arguing on television today - what's the point?
Munich – Escaping is not always a bad idea, what matters is the direction. Mario Voigt has decided to flee forward. The top candidate of the Thuringian CDU will face a TV duel this evening with AfD man Björn Höcke, who - it should be remembered - is classified by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution as a right-wing extremist. That alone makes the debate a breach of a taboo, the meaning of which is hotly debated. Can the AfD allow itself to be portrayed this way – or will Voigt fall into its trap?
Opinions vary widely, and the question itself goes beyond Thuringia. It touches on the general way of dealing with a party that is simply too strong in the polls to ignore. 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.
Voigt (CDU) in the TV duel with Höcke (AfD): Memorable genesis
The genesis of the whole thing is worth remembering. Voigt had accused Höcke around the
world
of wanting to let Europe die. That wasn't entirely wrong, after all, the AfD man had previously said that the EU had to "die so that the real Europe can live."
But Höcke felt provoked, threatened an injunction, then reconsidered. “How about a discussion – you decide on the format – on the concept of Europe?” he wrote on
X
. Voigt accepted. “Let’s go then,” he replied. “We would be happy to dismantle your anti-European policy of your alleged alternative, which threatens prosperity.”
The move brought Voigt a lot of attention, and not just well-meaning ones. He justified himself several times. “We cannot cheat our way past the AfD,” he told the
FAZ
. She already has a big stage online. Höcke must be “pulled into the light” in order to present the party’s content. Tactical considerations also play a role. In the state election campaign, the impression should not be created, as was the case in 2019, that Left-wing Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow and Höcke are fighting for the top office among themselves.
In surveys, the AfD has been consistently ahead of the CDU and the Left Party for months at around 30 percent. Can the duel bring about movement? Weaken the populists? Unmask Höcke?
TV duel with Höcke: CSU boss Söder defends Voigt's decision
Many people have a different opinion. Reiner Haseloff, CDU Prime Minister in Saxony-Anhalt, 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 told Funke that the duel was a mistake.
His colleague Oliver Lembcke says the CDU man is doing everything right. “The constant running away, unloading and exclusion of the AfD with the same phrases over and over again from the perspective of danger has led to Höcke being able to develop into a kind of magician or dark lord,” he told “Bild”.
Voigt also receives surprisingly clear support from the very top of the CSU. “I think it’s important to represent the AfD,” says party leader Markus Söder to our newspaper. The format of the direct duel is correct. Especially in the new federal states, where the AfD is the strongest competition, one has to “show what it cannot do”.
Söder says he would have “no problem meeting with the AfD for discussion if it were so necessary. I wouldn't have been afraid of the state election either." If the BR had decided to hold the big candidate duel with the AfD instead of the Greens (the polls were close), "then I would have put myself there too."