During the election for Minister-President in Baden-Württemberg, the AfD proposed the CDU’s top candidate, Manuel Hagel. The nomination was introduced by Miguel Klauß, a parliamentary director for the AfD, who argued that “the citizens of Baden-Württemberg voted center-right”.
Hagel immediately spoke up to reject the proposal. He pointed out the existing coalition agreement with the Greens, which designates Cem Özdemir as the Minister-President. Appealing to a sense of duty, Hagel stated that the CDU, along with the existing parliament, were too serious to be involved in political games. Following this rebuke, he declared his unavailability.
Despite his protests, Hagel could not formally reject the nomination because the election rules of the Baden-Württemberg state parliament do not prohibit it. The practice of rival parties nominating candidates from opposing groups is reportedly not unusual. This tactic has previously been used in Weimar and Saxony. In 2020, the use of this method actually led to a genuine government crisis in Thuringia, when Thomas Kemmerich, the FDP’s candidate, was surprisingly elected Minister-President before resigning days later.
