Leading Christian Democratic Union (CDU) politicians are issuing urgent warnings regarding the upcoming state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, expressing deep concern about any potential softening of the “red line” (“Brandmauer”) against the Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Reporting on the warnings, the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung” cited North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister, Herbert Reul, who stated that the AfD and its ideology represent “the greatest threat to our democracy.” Reul asserted, “There is only one stance: against it. Anyone who softens this position can proceed without me.”
Dennis Radtke, the head of the CDA’s voter wing in North Rhine-Westphalia, told the newspaper that “the moment the CDU extends a hand to the AfD, it is destroyed.” He noted that this outcome is a goal of figures such as Götz Kubitschek and Maximilian Krah, who believe such a move would split the union into at least two factions.
Similarly, Dennis Thering, the Chairman of the CDU in Hamburg, warned his party against “cooperating in any form” with the AfD. He predicted that if a partnership materialized in the Eastern German state parliaments, it would cause “massive upheavals” within the CDU, suggesting, “that would be the beginning of the end.”
Karl-Josef Laumann, the Minister of Labor for North Rhine-Westphalia and a Deputy Federal Chairman, stated that he and his party would withdraw from the CDU should they actively collaborate with or form a coalition with the AfD. “That would be the end of the CDU; many members I know, and I myself, would quit,” Laumann said. Though he does not believe his party will face such a dangerous situation, he added, “I don’t know anyone who wants an alliance with the AfD.” He stressed that their positions are fundamentally incompatible with the values of Christian democracy, arguing that the AfD seeks to destroy “everything the Union has stood for since Adenauer: European unity, transatlantic ties, NATO.”
Laumann also countered suggestions, such as those previously proposed by former CDU General Secretary Peter Tauber, to replace the rigid policy line with a framework of “red lines.” He maintained that motions that presuppose AfD approval are unacceptable. However, he urged the CDU not to be overly cautious, adding that they should not refrain from submitting motions in state parliaments or the Bundestag simply out of fear that the AfD might vote along with them.
Laumann distinguished between different political scenarios, explaining that in minority governments, this is not necessarily a fatal flaw for the CDU, citing examples from Saxony and Thuringia, where success has been found in excluding the AfD alongside other democratic parties.
