Marco Wanderwitz: CDU politician resigns due to hostility

The Saxon CDU member of the Bundestag Marco Wanderwitz will no longer be running in the new Bundestag elections in February. The 49-year-old justified this in an interview with the Chemnitz “Freie Presse” with increasing hostility towards himself. “I have to protect my family and myself physically and mentally,” said the CDU politician.

“The attacks by the brutal screamers have become increasingly violent. As a civil society, we have not managed to support the MPs,” complained Wanderwitz. Hatred and threats have been part of the political climate since the AfD entered parliament.

Wanderwitz has been a member of parliament since 2002. During the last legislative period he was temporarily the Federal Government’s Eastern Commissioner. Wanderwitz was recently one of the initiators who advocated a ban on the AfD. The group collected more than 100 signatures from various factions and submitted them to the Bundestag Presidium last week. In the 2021 federal election, Wanderwitz lost his constituency of Chemnitz surrounding area – Erzgebirgskreis II to the AfD candidate Mike Moncsek, but entered the Bundestag via the state list.

“I’ll be 50 next year. This is a good time when I can start something new on my own initiative. I’m looking forward to that,” lawyer Wanderwitz told the newspaper. However, he does not want to talk about what he plans to do after he leaves politics; that is now a private matter.

Wanderwitz is not the first politician who recently wanted to give up his mandate because of hostility and threats.

The Saxon CDU member of the Bundestag Yvonne Magwas announced in July that she would withdraw from politics. She is currently Deputy President of Parliament. In a personal statement, the 44-year-old announced that she would not run for the Bundestag again in 2025. “It is also true that the social climate has become considerably harsher in recent years, especially in Saxony (…) People lie, discredit and incite people.” As a member of parliament, you are particularly under fire. “I experienced a lot of insults, threats, but unfortunately also a lot of indifference. That takes away my strength.”

The district administrator of the Central Saxony district, Dirk Neubauer (non-party), also resigned because of threats “from the right-wing corner,” among other things. In a personal statement on his social media channels, he justified the step primarily with personal hostility and a lack of enforcement options. His term would have run until 2029.

“For months I have been confronted with a personal diffuse threat from the right-wing corner, mainly Free Saxony and the like,” said Neubauer. A point has been reached where he has to say: Enough.

But he won’t give in to his knees “in front of a few rowdies,” emphasized the current district administrator. A lack of political will to shape things in the region is also crucial.

There was speculation that SPD MP Karamba Diaby, who was born in Senegal, was retiring because of racist attacks – which he denied. In addition to death threats and insults, there were several attacks on his office.