Leading CDU politicians from Eastern Germany reject the criticism from SPD and Greens regarding the Union’s voting with the AfD in the Bundestag.
“SPD and Greens are trying to hold on to something that no longer exists” said Thuringia’s CDU Minister-President Mario Voigt to the “Spiegel” in reference to the debate over the so-called “Brandmauer”. “We must try to put out the fire that has already been burning for a long time.” This can only be done, he said, if one does not leave the AfD to dictate the topics. “One must react when a broad majority of the population perceives a problem, such as irregular migration.”
Saxony’s Minister-President Michael Kretschmer (CDU) told the “Spiegel”: “Democracy is best defended by solving the problems. And that’s the problems that the population perceives as pressing, not the ones the politics has declared as such.” Kretschmer demands a “hands-on approach” especially when it comes to migration. A signal must be sent across party lines: “We have understood.”
Otherwise, he warned, populism will continue to increase and that will “slowly but surely become a danger for democracy in our country.” It will either be cleared up, “the problems that the population has written in our duty book”, or others will do it.
Brandenburg’s state and faction leader Jan Redmann announced that the CDU will not withdraw its bills and motions in the state parliament “as soon as we see that the government doesn’t have its people on deck”. Then, the CDU can stop its opposition work. SPD and BSW have a two-vote majority in their coalition in the Potsdam state parliament. We will not make our opposition work dependent on the AfD’s voting behavior, said Redmann to the “Spiegel”.