A stark warning has been issued ahead of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party conference slated for early July in Erfurt, with Bundestag Vice-President Bodo Ramelow drawing unsettling parallels to the early 1930s. Ramelow, a prominent figure within the Left party (Die Linke), cautioned that the choice of Erfurt as the venue signals a deliberate and concerning shift within the AfD.
The decision to hold the conference in Thuringia, rather than a location aligned with the upcoming state election, is viewed as a demonstration of deference to the party’s far-right “Flügel” – a faction previously officially disbanded but demonstrably still influential, largely under the direction of state party leader Björn Höcke. Ramelow characterized the move as the “disposal of the last vestiges of a bourgeois facade” arguing that the selection of Erfurt, a region already perceived as having significant right-wing extremist presence, intensifies concerns about the party’s ideological trajectory.
Ramelow’s commentary deliberately references a historical analysis of the conditions that led to the rise of the Nazi party. He highlights the 1924 Thuringian state election as a crucial precursor to the events of 1933, arguing that it represents “the opening of a door”. He suggested that Höcke, himself a former history teacher, is acutely aware of this historical significance. The 1924 election resulted in a minority government beholden to nationalist forces, a dynamic Ramelow sees echoing in the current political climate.
The present Thuringian government, a so-called “brombeer coalition” comprised of the CDU, SPD and the socialist BSW (Basisverband Solidarische Stadt), operates without a governing majority and relies on the support of the Left party on key decisions, including budgetary matters. This fragile situation allows the AfD, wielding a blocking minority of over a third of seats in the state parliament, to exert considerable influence and obstruct critical functions such as the election of judges and prosecutors, potentially leading to a breakdown of the rule of law.
Ramelow’s warning extended beyond Thuringia, noting that the AfD’s growing influence and dangerous potential are similarly apparent in Saxony. He emphasized the party’s capacity to paralyze state institutions, underlining the urgent need for vigilance and a robust defense of democratic principles. The upcoming party conference in Erfurt, therefore, is not merely a political event, but a crucial moment for observing and confronting the escalating extremism within the AfD and its potential impact on German society.
