CDU and AfD in Thuringia: Right-Wing Offer to the CDU
In Sömmerda, the AfD candidate for district administrator claims to have made arrangements with the CDU candidate before the runoff. The CDU candidate denies this statement.
In the district of Sömmerda, the CDU and AfD candidates are facing off in the runoff for the district administrator election on Sunday. This is a common scenario in Thuringia on this election Sunday. The situation is particularly contentious in this case: The AfD candidate Stefan Schröder states in a short video on Facebook that after an „initial conversation“ with the CDU candidate Christian Karl, they were able to resolve „some inconsistencies.“ He is confident that they could create a „joint cooperation“ for the district. Their common goal: to prevent the expansion of the refugee accommodation.
In the municipal election on May 26, Christian Karl from the CDU received 46.3% of the votes in the first round, while Stefan Schröder from the AfD received 36.4%. This represents a doubling of the AfD’s result from the last election.
While Schröder’s video message is a clear statement and a definite offer, Karl is taking legal action against it. The CDU local politician has filed complaints against the AfD candidate: Karl insists that at no time did he make any commitments to Schröder. „We were never ‚in agreement‘ and never ‚worked together,'“ Karl tells taz, and assures that „no agreements were made.“
After a previous AfD event, Schröder had hinted at cooperation, Karl recalls. A counterstatement from the CDU followed then – and a complaint. Schröder had subsequently requested a phone call to „calm the situation down“ and withdraw the complaint, according to Karl. He assured him that he would consider how to correct his statement.
It is a strategy
With the Facebook post, this has certainly not succeeded. However, it should not be assumed to be an awkward attempt: The AfD wants to push the CDU into a party internal conflict with offers of cooperation. They hope to fuel the already ongoing debate.
The AfD aims to portray itself as a party driven by reason that acts for the good of the country, municipalities, and districts. This strategy was broadcast live during the TV debate on Welt-TV between the CDU lead candidate Mario Voigt and the AfD lead candidate Björn Höcke.
Despite the disagreements in the show on April 11, Höcke once again offered cooperation with the CDU. Schröder, the office manager of AfD Bundestag member Bernd Schattner and faction leader in the district of Sömmerda, appears to be following this party strategy.
In response to taz’s inquiries, Schröder now does not want to speak of an „arrangement“ but rather of a „joint finding“ to oppose the expansion of the refugee accommodation.