FDP Chairman Wolfgang Kubicki has stressed two months ahead of the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt that he would not support an AfD Minister-President nor participate in a coalition involving The Left party. Speaking to the Münchner Merkur, Kubicki stated clearly: “It is clear for us: We will not elect an AfD Minister-President, and we will not join any coalition involving The Left.” He suggested that only the voters could prevent an AfD leader from taking office.
Kubicki also outlined a contingency plan for complicated majority situations, predicting that the FDP would likely co-elect a CDU Minister-President who would then have to seek support in parliament. In such scenarios, he added, “The others would then have to approach the FDP more closely. Free Democrats under my leadership will never be followers.”
However, Kubicki did not completely rule out substantive cooperation with the AfD. When asked about his statements from the FDP party conference at the end of May-where he had previously dismissed the concept of a “brand wall” by saying, “I don’t know it. It is not in the constitution. It doesn’t exist”-he countered by saying: “It would be silly for me to base my convictions on whether the AfD might agree or whether The Left might agree.” He concluded that his policy stance would be definitive, stating, “Either I think something is right: then we do it. Or I think it is wrong: then we don’t.”
Despite making such strong political commitments, the 74-year-old leader does not want his political future tied to the autumn state elections. He noted that he has a one-year deadline until May of next year. “If I haven’t managed to make the FDP a serious force by then, I don’t know what to do,” he stated. “Then there is no point in running again.” Kubicki was elected as the FDP federal chairman on May 30, defeating Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann for the position.
