Green party leader Felix Banaszak is urging his party to increase its involvement in East Germany. Speaking in a ZDF summer interview, Banaszak stressed that the Alliance 90/The Greens must not lose ground in Brandenburg or in other parts of the East, stating that they need to rebuild “closeness and connection with the people on the ground.”
Addressing other political parties, Banaszak used the upcoming elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to appeal to the CDU, asking them to reconsider their decision regarding their incompatibility with the Left Party. While admitting that the Left party’s politics can be subject to criticism, he said that Heidi Reichinnek should not be trying to “rebuild the wall” or massively deport people from Germany. According to Banaszak, it is essential that the CDU does not undermine the foundations of democracy. Furthermore, he argued that the CDU must overcome its reservations when it comes to whether “anti-constitutional opponents, whether from the far-right or truly outside the democratic spectrum,” should be granted access to schools, daycares, law enforcement, and the judiciary.
For the Greens, the elections in both Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are expected to be highly competitive and are currently hovering near the five-percent threshold. Despite this tight political environment, Banaszak has ruled out the possibility of resignation should the party fail in the elections.
