AfD right winger Björn Höcke could become Prime Minister of Thuringia in 2024. The possibility alone makes the Interior Minister of the Free State think about changing the constitution. He sees democracy in great danger.
It is a warning example in these times: in 1930, Hitler’s NSDAP party took part in a state government in Germany for the first time. In Thuringia, the fascists entered into a coalition with four other parties and secured their first grip on power in the reeling Weimar Republic. 15 years later, Germany was in ruins, especially morally. The National Socialists had abolished democracy and brought about the greatest breach of civilization in history.
It is probably this look back into history that makes Thuringia’s Interior Minister Georg Maier shudder almost a century later. ““I sometimes have the feeling that we are sleepwalking into quite a disaster and waking up on September 2nd in an authoritarian system,” he says SPD-Politician from the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” on Thursday.
According to surveys, the AfD is the strongest force in Thuringia
Maier is looking ahead to the state elections next year. It could result in a right-wing radical becoming prime minister and misanthropy could thus become government business. Classified as right-wing extremist by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution AfD and their state leader Björn Höcke are in first place in all surveys eight months before the election – with up to 34 percent of the vote. “People no longer vote for the AfD as a protest party,” says Maier. “A large proportion of voters are now convinced of their stance.”
And although all democratic parties announce in unison that they do not want to get the AfD into government office, it could have considerable influence on politics after the election – and possibly even appoint the Prime Minister of the Free State. “You have to keep in mind that the AfD could prevent the constitution from being changed or judges from being elected with a third of the votes,” outlined Maier. “And as the strongest faction, it would have the right to appoint the President of Parliament, so it could, for example, control the scientific service and have control over the procedure for electing the Prime Minister.”
The constitution of Thuringia currently provides for a maximum of three rounds of voting in the state parliament for the election of the prime minister. In the first two, a candidate must get the support of the majority of members of parliament in order to enter the state chancellery. “If the election does not take place in the second round, the person who receives the most votes in a further round is elected,” says the state constitution. This formulation “leaves questions unanswered,” says Interior Minister Maier and shows the path to a possible AfD prime minister. “If only one candidate runs, it would theoretically be possible that he would be elected with a single yes vote, even though all other MPs voted no or abstained.”
Make the constitution “weatherproof”.
In order to create clarity and make the constitution “weatherproof,” as Maier puts it, the state parliament should change the constitution “very quickly.” “I just can’t understand why we have to drive the cart into the wall to wake everyone up.”
However, an amendment to the constitution is not yet being discussed in the state parliament. And the current government coalition of the Left Party, SPD and Greens does not have the necessary two-thirds majority in parliament and would be dependent on support from the CDU. However, the Christian Democrats would rather have the Constitutional Court examine the current passage and its application. The Left Party is also one Constitutional amendment sceptical towards.
If there was no common plan from the Democrats, time would run out for the AfD and Björn Höcke. It is even conceivable that they will gain an absolute majority in September if the Greens and FDP are kicked out of the Erfurt state parliament and the AfD gains further support. The DPA news agency writes about an impending “political earthquake” in the East. Finally, the AfD is also preparing to triumph in the state elections in Saxony and Brandenburg next year. For the first time since 1945, right-wing extremists could assume government responsibility in Germany. Thuringia’s Interior Minister Georg Maier doesn’t just think about history, but also about the future. He says: “We are very close to the tipping point in democracy. If not already over it.”
Sources: , DPA news agency
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
