During the Minister-Presidential election in Baden-Württemberg, the AfD nominated Manuel Hagel, the top candidate for the CDU. The nomination was justified by Miguel Klauß, the AfD’s parliamentary managing director, who stated that the citizens of Baden-Württemberg had voted “center-right”.
Hagel immediately challenged the proposal, citing the existing coalition agreement with the Green Party, which plans to see Cem Özdemir elected as Minister-President. He strongly criticized the CDU and the Parliament, stating that they were engaging in political gamesmanship-a responsibility, he argued, that was greater than themselves. Ultimately, he declared that he was unavailable to take the role.
Despite his verbal refusal, Hagel could not formally reject the nomination, as the election rules of the Baden-Württemberg Parliament do not allow for such an action.
This tactic of opposition parties selecting a candidate from another group is not unprecedented, having been used previously in Thuringia and Saxony. In fact, the method led to a genuine governmental crisis in Thuringia in 2020, when Thomas Kemmerich, the FDP candidate, was elected Minister-President and subsequently resigned after only a few days.