Björn Höcke is the first AfD politician to compete in a TV duel. Is this how a right-wing radical is made socially acceptable? Opinions differ.
Berlin – Björn Höcke's first TV duel on Thursday evening (April 11th, 8:15 p.m.) on the private broadcaster Welt polarized. Before the state elections in Thuringia, the right-wing AfD man Höcke is running against the CDU top candidate Mario Voigt. One concern is that with Höcke's invitation, a man from the far right will get a stage on which he can continue to make his slogans socially acceptable. A political scientist underlines this danger. Nevertheless, he believes the confrontation is necessary.
CDU man Voigt goes into a TV duel with Höcke: Expert sees “dilemma” – but also opportunity
“Höcke stands for ethnic and identitarian thinking. This is as wrong as it is disgusting. “So you shouldn’t really offer someone like that a stage,” said Oliver Lembcke, political science professor at the Ruhr University Bochum,
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. However, according to Lembcke, the situation is not easy to assess. “But it is also true that anyone – like the CDU – who wants to have a chance in party competition must have the opportunity to challenge their political opponents,” emphasized the scientist: “So it is a dilemma: On the one hand, the principle, 'with You don't speak fascists'; On the other hand, the CDU must be given the chance to attack the AfD argumentatively.”
The reason for the television duel was a discussion between the Thuringian CDU leader Voigt and Höcke on X (formerly Twitter) in January, in which both argued about European issues. They came to the conclusion that the debate could also be held in front of cameras. Unlike Thuringia's Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (Left), Voigt did not rule out a TV duel against Höcke. For its general secretary, Christian Herrgott, Voigt's participation does not mean breaking any taboo.
TV duel with Höcke: CSU boss Söder defends Voigt's decision
“AfD politicians sit on political talk shows every week. “In addition, they have long since had their stage on social networks, where they spread their slogans unchallenged,” Herrgott told
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before the duel . “Höcke is the secret leader of his party. It is an important task of the democratic center to show that the alleged alternative is an enormous risk for our country.”
The CDU wants to expose Höcke through his own positions. “The Höcke AfD is an enemy of the future. She paints everything blacker than it is and insists on only describing problems. She has no working solutions. Höcke is the death of opportunity for Thuringia, which scares off investors and skilled workers,” emphasized CDU politician Herrgott.
Voigt receives surprisingly clear support from the very top of his sister party, the CSU. “I think it’s important to represent the AfD,” said party leader Markus Söder to our editorial team. 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 also stated that he had “no problem meeting with the AfD for discussion if it was so necessary. I wouldn't have been afraid of the state election either." If Bayerischer Rundfunk had decided to hold the big candidate duel in autumn 2023 with the AfD instead of the Greens (the polls were close), "then I would have put myself there too “.
Höcke's big stage: The world wants to “classify” and check statements for truth
Welt editor-in-chief Jan Philipp Burgard also doesn't want to talk about breaking a taboo when talking to our editorial team. “We carefully considered whether we should host this TV duel. Ignoring the AfD has so far achieved nothing. The duel allows viewers to find out what it would mean if right-wing extremists were given government responsibility.
Burgard and the broadcaster Welt want to prepare meticulously for the debate. “We see the duel as a boxing ring for democracy. My co-moderator Tatjana Ohm and I will ask critical questions and, if necessary, classify the statements. There is also a fact-checking team working in the background that will check all statements and, if necessary, publish them the next day.”
Preparatory work is also Voigt's best chance of coming out of the duel as the winner, predicts political scientist Lembcke. The CDU politician must “provide new answers to the difficult government conditions in Thuringia through good preparation”. He must credibly explain to people what the benefits of voting for him are and not promote an unrealistic German coalition.
Duel against Höcke and AfD: “It could also go terribly wrong”
“If Voigt manages to answer the question of political power concretely and expose the AfD’s hollow phrases and empty promises, then he can take advantage of his opportunity. This includes a convincing response to the challenge of having common political intersections with the AfD,” Lembcke told
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.
However, the researcher doesn't want to be too euphoric about Höcke's abilities. “Of course the duel can also go badly wrong. Höcke is very clever in assessing the respective arena and his counterparts and using them to their maximum advantage.”