Merkel coalition in crisis as her party agrees deal with far-right
‘It was a bad day for democracy. It was a day that broke with the values and beliefs of the CDU’
GERMANY has been plunged into political crisis after members of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrat party (CDU) and the nationalist Alternative for Germany party (AFD) joined forces to bring down a regional government.
Mrs Merkel said the move was “unforgivable” and “must be reversed”.
Thomas Kemmerich resigned as regional prime minister of Thuringia yesterday, less than 24 hours after he was elected to the position with the backing of the two parties. It remains to be seen whether his decision will be enough to defuse a political row being openly compared to the rise of the Nazis in the region in 1930.
The regional CDU leadership in Thuringia has been condemned for breaking a long-standing taboo against cooperation with the far-right.
Its decision to vote alongside the AFD made the nationalist party effective kingmakers and left Mrs Merkel’s national coalition under threat as her partners, the Social Democrats, demanded a summit to address the crisis.
After elections in October and with no viable coalition holding a majority, Bodo Ramelow of the Left Party, the former regional prime minister, attempted to continue at the head of a minority government.
However, the CDU and AFD joined forces to install Mr Kemmerich of the Free Democrats (FDP), a minor party that has only five seats in the regional parliament, in his place.
“This was a unique process that broke with a basic conviction, for the CDU and also for me: namely that no majorities should be won with the help of the AFD,” Mrs Merkel said. “It was a bad day for democracy. It was a day that broke with the values and beliefs of the CDU and everything must be done now to make it clear that this can in no way be reconciled with how the CDU thinks and acts.”
Mike Mohring, the regional CDU leader, claimed his MPS could not have foreseen that the AFD would also vote for Mr Kemmerich.
However, Mrs Merkel added: “Since this was a foreseeable result, one has to say that this process was unforgivable and the result must be reversed.” The U-turn by Mr Kemmerich, who had vowed to remain in office, came after the intervention of Christian Lindner, the national FDP leader. Mr Kemmerich’s decision means there are likely to be new elections in Thuringia.
Hitler achieved one of his first major political breakthroughs in Thuringia when a Nazi joined the regional government in 1930, and the Afd’s political opponents have been quick to point to the parallels.