The Green and Left parties criticized the CDU for allegedly providing support to AfD candidate Malte Kaufmann during the vote for the vice chairmanship of the Economics Committee.
Michael Kellner, the Green Party’s spokesman for the committee, told “Der Spiegel” that “probably almost half of the CDU members in the Economics Committee voted for the AfD”. According to Kellner, CDU politicians, including Brandenburger representative Saskia Ludwig, openly expressed sympathy for the AfD. He concluded by stating that “Jens Spahn apparently does not have his parliamentary group under control”.
The Left Party also launched harsh criticism. Spokeswoman and deputy group leader Janine Wissler told a news magazine that the CDU’s voting behavior was “alarming and shameful”. Wissler suggested that several CDU deputies strongly desired a deputy committee chairman who was aligned with the AfD.
Wissler also raised concerns about the persistent political divide and the rising influence of the AfD. She stated that compared to the last election in September 2025, the AfD candidate had gained four votes, emphasizing that “the normalization of the AfD must be prevented anew every day”.
On the day of the vote, which was conducted by secret ballot, Kaufmann prevailed, mirroring the results of previous votes. Despite the AfD only holding ten seats, Kaufmann received 16 votes. This indicates that he received support from at least six members belonging to other political factions.