Former Thuringian Minister-President and Vice President of the Bundestag, Bodo Ramelow (Die Linke), is now campaigning with the CDU for a “structured cooperation” or a “tolerated minority government” in Saxony-Anhalt. He strongly argues that equating Die Linke with the AfD is merely a demonizing tactic against his own party.
Speaking to the news channel Welt TV, Ramelow asserted that a pragmatic partnership between the CDU and Die Linke is entirely feasible, citing the models established in both Thuringia and Saxony. He stated, “First, we must simply have the conversation that we are talking with Die Linke.” Ramelow criticized the nationwide debate, where the CDU continually suggests that the AfD and the “firewall” surrounding the AfD should be the same as the one surrounding Die Linke. He claims this always results in the AfD being downplayed while Die Linke is simultaneously slandered.
He pointed to his five-year tenure leading a minority state government in Thuringia. He stressed that the cooperation with the CDU was natural, noting that they consulted in the parliament and implemented topics important to the CDU. For five years, Thuringia operated successfully because the red-red-green state government, led by a left-wing Minister-President, was able to achieve majorities through joint effort with the CDU.
Furthermore, Ramelow noted that the current minority government in Thuringia, led by CDU Minister-President Mario Voigt, routinely engages with Die Linke. Similarly, Saxony’s CDU Minister-President, Michael Kretschmer, operates within a minority government that involves dialogue with the far-left. He believes this model is also possible in Saxony-Anhalt if the focus is kept on specific governing issues-such as education, medical care, or public transport. “These are state-level policy matters,” Ramelow stressed. He advocates that all democratic forces in a state must discuss policy openly. Only after defining this policy approach, he suggests, should the question of forming a state government in Saxony-Anhalt be addressed, rather than constructing defensive coalitions, which the AfD tends to promote as rumors.
“What is needed is constructive dialogue and less of the CDU’s constant whining, always concluding that ‘Well, the AfD and Die Linke are the same,'” Ramelow added.
Regarding the national CDU’s refusal to abandon its policy of incompatibility, Ramelow described the stance as historically rooted. He stated that the CDU’s “exclusionary behaviour” is grating on him, suggesting the party remains trapped in an old, anti-communist mindset inherited from West Germany. He urged them to look at the current reality: “Two state governments are talking to each other. And what is normal in Saxony and Thuringia could become normal in Saxony-Anhalt, too. We can talk to each other, shape policies together, and then move forward, acknowledging that there is good state policy that can be agreed upon.”
