The former Minister President of Lower Saxony (Schleswig-Holstein) and SPD member, Torsten Albig, has suggested tearing down the “firewall” separating the Social Democrats from the Alternative for Germany (AfD). This proposal has met with sharp opposition from leading figures within the Social Democratic Party.
Jochen Ott, the SPD group leader and designated top candidate for North Rhine-Westphalia, told ‘Bild,’ that he does not understand Albig’s motivation. He asserted that the entire idea is “wrong and devastating”. Ott emphasized that collaboration with “the ideological descendants of a party that persecuted us can never happen for Social Democrats”. He stated, “The enemy is on the right. Luckily, the Chancellor and leading Christian Democrats see this clearly”.
Furthermore, Julian Barlen, the SPD group leader in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, criticized Albig severely. Referring to Albig’s career, Barlen remarked that someone who lobbies for tobacco conglomerates “apparently has no problem advertising toxic ideas”. Barlen stated that his state chapter requires “no advice from someone who left politics years ago, but rather a stable government with a clear stance”-a characteristic he attributes only to the current Minister President of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Manuela Schwesig (SPD).
Barlen’s comment specifically targeted Albig’s current post as a lobbyist for the tobacco corporation Philip Morris, a role Albig took up in 2023. Albig had proposed Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as an example of potential collaboration with the AfD, particularly as the party is leading in polls ahead of the local elections in September.
Steffen Krach, the head of the Berlin SPD and top candidate for the September Berlin election, offered the harshest critique of the AfD. He stated to ‘Bild’ that the party is “in absolute contradiction with everything we as the SPD have worked for over decades”. Krach labeled the AfD as largely right-wing extremist, a party that only serves the rich, attacks the rights of women and workers, seeks to destroy democracy, and is fundamentally aligned with Putin. He concluded, “I could list the reasons endlessly, but the result remains the same: there is zero common ground between us”.
