Dennis Radtke, chairman of the CDU’s social wing, has issued a strong warning regarding potential “breach of taboos” following the election in Saxony-Anhalt. Speaking to the Funke media group, Radtke stipulated that there must be absolutely no cooperation with the AfD. “This cannot be compromised. If it is, not only will the CDU be ruined in Saxony-Anhalt, but across the entire country. The damage to the party would be irreparable.”
When asked whether he could guarantee for every CDU member in Saxony-Anhalt that he would never personally support an AfD ministerial candidate, Radtke cautioned: “One always has to be careful about who you place your trust in if you want to avoid severe burns.” He clarified that CDU deputies who support the AfD using their votes would lose their membership in the CDU.
Radtke stated that his own decision on whether to remain a member of the CDU, should the state party in Saxony-Anhalt initiate any collaboration with the AfD, depends on the reaction from the federal party. “If the party leadership simply allows it, then the CDU is finished, and the AfD would have achieved one of its major strategic goals. We must never be so foolish.”
Regarding the potential for a difficult government formation after the state election, Radtke suggested looking at the political models of Thuringia and Saxony. In those states, the CDU has found a way to arrive at political decisions without immediately involving the Left Party in government responsibility. He noted that the local stakeholders in Saxony-Anhalt would need to determine how such a scenario might unfold after the election.
Radtke confirmed his support for the CDU’s incompatibility decree, which excludes cooperation with both the AfD and the Left Party. However, he simultaneously argued for a more nuanced view on the situation. “Some parts of the Left Party are marred by antisemitism, while other parts have a dubious relationship with Russia,” Radtke observed. “But the threat to our democracy stemming from the Left is not the same as the threat posed by a party like the AfD, which has been categorized as openly right-extremist in several federal states.”
