Will the AfD score points in the Thuringian local elections with slogans rather than people? Höcke’s party has become a heavyweight in the district councils – but it will have a tough time in the runoff elections for top offices.
The fears were great, but the loud bang never came: The AfD led by right-wing extremist Björn Höcke has strengthened its position in Thuringia’s local parliaments, but failed to win the district and mayoral elections at the first attempt. Instead, in several districts it will come down to a duel with the CDU in the runoff elections on June 9.
The two parties were also neck and neck in terms of the share of votes in the district councils and city councils. “As things stand, the AfD cannot be said to have won. The worst fears have not come true,” said Dresden political scientist Hans Vorländer to the German Press Agency in Erfurt.
However, experts and the AfD itself expect the party to have more influence in local councils. It could be difficult to govern without it. Will the firewall in the municipalities now disappear?
The AfD is weakening in terms of personnel
Four months before the state election, the AfD brought 9 of its 13 district administrator and mayoral candidates into a runoff election. However, only the AfD candidate in Altenburg Land was ahead of his opponent. Thuringia’s SPD state leader Georg Maier has already hinted that his party could support CDU candidates in the upcoming runoff elections. The party also had no chance in the elections for full-time and honorary mayors.
The Erfurt political scientist André Brodocz told the dpa: “The AfD is apparently less convincing with its people than with its slogans.” The political scientist Oliver Lembcke explained with regard to the scandals surrounding the AfD’s top candidates for the European elections: “The AfD has messed it up because it has presented the worst possible image in recent weeks.”
But it is taking root in local parliaments
The situation is different in the elections for local parliaments, i.e. city councils and district councils. Here the party gained significantly and, shortly before the end of the counting on Monday afternoon, was only just behind the CDU with 27.4 percent, with 26.1 percent nationwide. In ten districts and independent cities it was the strongest force or was close to becoming so. For example, in Sonneberg, where Robert Sesselmann is the AfD district administrator, it achieved 34.7 percent.
From Lembcke’s point of view, this has consequences for the formation of majorities in parliaments: “It will be even more difficult to exclude them, in some cases it will no longer work at all.” Brodocz is of the opinion that the so-called firewall actually only applies at federal and state level anyway – “at the local level it has often been abandoned.”
The CDU emerges stronger from the election, others lose
The CDU has maintained its position as a local force. Its candidates won the mayoral elections in Suhl and Weimar by a clear margin. In the state capital Erfurt, the CDU candidate Andreas Horn relegated the SPD incumbent Andreas Bausewein to second place – the decision will now be made in the runoff election.
Otherwise, most run-off elections are between the CDU and the AfD. These could be interpreted as a kind of prelude to the state election duel between CDU top candidate Mario Voigt and Höcke, said Brodocz. In the case of Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (Left Party), it depends on how he can use his incumbency bonus. Ramelow governs together with the SPD and the Greens.
His Left Party suffered significant losses in the elections to the city and district parliaments. As of Monday afternoon, the SPD, Greens and FDP also lost votes in the local parliaments. However, the SPD won a district administrator’s post directly. In Jena, the Greens and FDP will decide the mayoral election between themselves.
Strong start for Wagenknecht coalition
The first appearance of the Wagenknecht alliance BSW in elections in Thuringia is remarkable for political scientist Brodocz. It only ran sporadically, but received values of seven to twelve percent. In the state elections in September, the movement could “bring about the greatest changes.” In the districts of Greiz, Gotha and Wartburgkreis, the new party achieved double-digit results straight away. In Bleicherode, the BSW candidate Robert Henning was elected mayor.
Excitement over neo-Nazi in district council runoff election
The performance of a neo-Nazi in the district election in the Hildburghausen district caused a stir – Tommy Frenck made it to the runoff with 24.9 percent. However, his opponent Sven Gregor (42.4 percent) is considered to be a good candidate there. There was no AfD candidate there. According to the 2022 report by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Frenck’s voting group “Alliance for the Future of Hildburghausen” (BZH) developed “into the leading neo-Nazi group in the Hildburghausen district”. Frenck became known nationwide because he organized a series of large neo-Nazi concerts, some of which were attended by right-wing extremists from several European countries.
Source: Stern
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