Henriette Held, the spokeswoman for the Green Youth, has accused Franziska Brantner, the chair of the Green Party, of moving too close to the CDU. The criticism stems from an Instagram video Brantner shared following the election of the AfD politician Tobias Rausch.
In this video, Brantner described the fact that the AfD candidate received four more votes than combined total of the AfD and BSW candidates as “crazy.” She also labeled the situation “toxic,” arguing that it casts doubt among democratic voters regarding who was responsible. The CDU did not specifically mention or target Brantner in response.
This action has drawn sharp criticism from the Green Youth. Held commented that Brantner “failed to offer clear criticism of the CDU after a day like yesterday, even though people are currently craving clarity.” Held stated that this suggested an attitude akin to: “It is better to govern with the CDU in the future than to take a principled stand now.”
She subsequently demanded that the Green Party press the Union to draw clear red lines. Held asserted that the CDU cannot maintain a “free pass” for collaborating with the Green Party, no matter what boundaries it may cross.
