Britta Haßelmann, the chairwoman of the Green Parliamentary Group in the Bundestag, is demanding a clear statement from Chancellor and CDU leader Friedrich Merz following the election of AfD politician Tobias Rausch as the President of the State Parliament of Saxony-Anhalt.
In press appearances for the Funke media group, Haßelmann stated that the election of an AfD president in Saxony-Anhalt, which reportedly received votes from members of the CDU Union, places German democracy at a turning point. She insisted that it is the minimum expectation that the Chancellor and the CDU party chief explain what this outcome means and how the party intends to handle it.
However, the Green politician criticized the CDU for failing to provide any clarity or commentary on the matter, arguing that this silence clearly exposes the Union’s weakness.
Tobias Rausch was elected to the presidency of the parliament on Tuesday with 48 votes. The AfD and the BSW, which had previously announced its support, collectively cast only 44 votes. The origin of the remaining four votes remains unclear because the election was held in secret, although observers have speculated that the votes originated from the CDU caucus.
Haßelmann further accused Merz and the broader CDU/CSU coalition of lacking clear direction. She asserted that the coalition is bogged down in immense unresolved issues, and that the citizens deserve a government that finally acts. Instead, they are currently only receiving vague messages from the ruling parties, such as promises of a “good, constructive atmosphere,” while the coalition is preoccupied with “public commotion and squabbling over everything and nothing.”
The co-chair of the Greens referred to this critique during the assessment of the coalition party leaders at the joint cabinet meeting on Wednesday. She concluded that what the country needs is an idea, a vision of how things should progress, along with the strength and guidance to navigate the coming period. She added that the current coalition, led by Friedrich Merz, evidently lacks these essential qualities.
