The CDU finds itself in a self-imposed predicament
The Thuringia state election results in disillusionment. For the first time, the AfD takes the lead in a federal state, and a coalition of CDU, SPD, and BSW isn't sufficient. Without the Left, no government can materialize. However, the situation becomes complex.
Initial perceptions in December 2018 were straightforward for the CDU. At their party conference in Hamburg, unanimously, the attendees passed a resolution: "The German CDU rejects coalitions and collaborations with the Left Party, as well as the Alternative for Germany. The CDU, positioned as the center's people's party, felt it appropriate to distance itself from the left and right fringes, much like distinguishing itself from the Third Reich and the GDR."
Now, five years and nine months later, everything seems unclear. Instead, the CDU feels trapped by its self-imposed rule. On Monday, the party leader Friedrich Merz, Saxony's Minister-President Michael Kretschmer, and Thuringia's top candidate Mario Voigt discussed the recent state election outcomes in Berlin. In Thuringia, it was apparent since late Sunday night: Without the Left's involvement, no government could be established beyond the AfD. The CDU, SPD, and BSW were falling one vote short. Consequently, journalists asked the three gentlemen numerous questions about the incompatibility resolution from December 2018.
Merz confirmed that the resolution with the Left still applies. However, he also acknowledged: Each state has its way of dealing with it. Kretschmer, on the other hand, rejected an essential portion of the resolution: equating AfD and Left. Cooperation with the Left is not possible, but "point-by-point cooperation" is. Again, the specifics were left unclear. Voigt evaded the question, advising the journalists to wait for the talks.
In an interview with dpa, Merz stated regarding the upcoming talks with the BSW and, to some extent, even the Left Party in Saxony and Thuringia: "No, it's not so much a test of strength imposed on us by the media." The CDU is "clear on these issues, and we are also absolutely united."
Ramelow Awaits the Challenge
Not the Left's readiness is the issue. Already before the election, Minister President Bodo Ramelow called for cooperation, criticizing the CDU's alleged "exclusionismus." He recently told "Der Spiegel," regarding the missing vote for a majority in the Thuringian state parliament: "The vote is in front of you."
If there were no incompatibility resolution, some form of cooperation wouldn't be implausible. The now 68-year-old Minister President Ramelow has not portrayed himself as a hardcore left-wing ideologue in the past ten years. Rather, he's a pragmatist trying to resolve the state's problems. He had no affiliation with the SED and moved to the east following reunification to become a trade unionist. He is also a devout Christian. The CDU could hardly find a more suitable Left-leaning partner.
That's one perspective on Ramelow and the Left. Yet, there were compelling reasons for the CDU to clearly distance itself from the Left. Primarily, history: The Left stemmed from the PDS, the SED's successor party, which ruled the GDR. Christians and CDU supporters were persecuted and tortured under its rule. Many were shot at the Berlin Wall and the inner-German border. Thousands, even tens of thousands, were unjustly persecuted. There was no free market economy. And so on...
The history behind the CDU's decision not to collaborate with Honecker's successors is just one argument. Furthermore, a CDU paper emphasized that the modern Left party displays extremist tendencies. America is despised, Cuba is respected, NATO is criticized, and capitalism is confronted. Parts of the Left were under surveillance by the constitutional protection agency for a long time. Even Ramelow was monitored, but successfully appealed and was declared to be illegally observed. For those who view the Left in this way, Ramelow is merely the amiable face of a potentially dangerous revolutionary group.
The argument seems weaker due to BSW's involvement
However, soon after the party decision in December 2018, the CDU broadened this stance significantly. Following the Thuringia election five years ago, with a similarly complicated outcome, a Left-CDU coalition was required for a majority. Yet, the Christian Democrats rejected a coalition, but they tolerated the red-red-green state government led by Ramelow and granted it majorities for crucial projects, including the passing of state budgets.
So, what reasons prevent the Left from tolerating a CDU-led coalition today? If the CDU found it not a problem to tolerate the Left and its partners for five years, shouldn't the opposite also hold true? Even if the party decision states that connections and similar cooperation forms are rejected.
With the emergence of the alliance "Sahra Wagenknecht", the validity of excluding coalitions and subsequently resolving incompatibilities as a whole is being challenged. Wagenknecht, who joined the Communist Party of Germany (SED) closer to the end of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), served as chairwoman of the Communist Platform in the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS). She shares similar anti-American, pro-Russian, and populist ideologies that the CDU alleges the Left possesses. Suffice to say, if anyone leans towards extremism in this scenario, it's Wagenknecht, not Ramelow.
Initial calls for BSW expulsion
The question of how Wagenknecht can seek an alliance with the BSW but reject one with the Left remains unanswered by the CDU. Their representatives cite the party as a "mystery box", with ambiguous goals. As long as the party had a chance to gain a majority without the Left, this contradiction could be dismissed as insignificant. However, this inconsistency is now indisputably apparent.
Complicating matters further, there's also resistance to collaborating with the BSW: a faction of around 40 prominent party members is campaigning for an incompatibility resolution with the BSW, according to reports from "Tagesspiegel". Figures like foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter, who labeled the BSW as an extension of Russian influence, are part of this movement. They claim the BSW intends to dismantle the democratic center, including the Union as a mass party, and subvert our fundamental values. If this group prevails, Saxony and Thuringia would be virtually ungovernable, and the CDU, despite a strong showing, would have no chance of forming a government.
Czaja: "Ramelow no threat to democracy - Höcke already is"
Vocal advocates within the CDU are now urging cooperation with the Left party. Former Thuringian state leader Mike Mohring proposed this in 2020, but was dismissed as an outsider. Schleswig-Holstein's Minister President Daniel Günther also endorsed this idea in 2019 and again in May. Former federal government's East German affairs commissioner and Saxon CDU politician Marco Wanderwitz has been advocating for this for some time. The party's unity on this issue has waned significantly since December 2018.
Post-election, former general secretary Mario Czaja has weighed in. He criticized the equating of the Left and AfD in the incompatibility resolution, stating, "It's absurd that this resolution exists and we refuse to work with the pragmatic Left. The truth is, the Left in East Germany is primarily conservative social democracy with an Eastern German flair." He continued, "Bodo Ramelow was never a threat to democracy. Björn Höcke is."
Political scientist Benjamin Höhne also voiced opposition to the incompatibility resolution. The CDU sees itself as a problem-solver that focuses on practical solutions, not ideological disputes. In Thuringia, the Left party has implemented social democratic policies. "The CDU understands this. It must now decide between working with Ramelow's Left party or clinging to the outdated communist specter. Otherwise, it risks serving as a stepping stone for Höcke's rise to power," Höhne warned.
In the aftermath of the Elections to the Landtag of Thuringia, the CDU and its coalition partners found themselves one vote short of forming a government without the Left. Journalists questioned the CDU leaders about the incompatibility resolution from December 2018, which rejected coalitions with the Left Party. Party leader Friedrich Merz confirmed the resolution's validity but acknowledged that each state handles such matters differently.
The complex situation in Thuringia has led some CDU advocates to call for cooperation with the Left Party. Schleswig-Holstein's Minister President Daniel Günther and former federal government's East German affairs commissioner Marco Wanderwitz are among those suggesting this, although some within the CDU, like foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter, oppose such cooperation due to perceived Russian influence and attempts to dismantle democratic values.
