Gauck calls for all-party alliance against AfD in upcoming state elections

Former German President Joachim Gauck has proposed an all-party alliance against the AfD in light of next year's state elections. "If the AfD is ahead in a state election, all democratic parties must join forces to prevent the AfD from governing. From the CDU to the Left," Gauck demanded in the magazine "Stern." "We must already send the clear signal with this AfD: They will never come to power." Liberal democracy must prove to be defensible.

In September 2024, new state parliaments will be elected in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg. In all three states, the AfD is currently ahead in polls.

Gauck made explicit reference to Thuringia. "I was scolded when I had a certain unease that someone from the Left Party became prime minister," he said, referring to Thuringia's Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (Left Party). "But when I see his words and his actions today, then I can only say: there is a change recognizable." He had said after the last election that the CDU should tolerate the Ramelow government.

At the same time, he warned against alarmism with regard to the AfD. "In the confrontation with national populists, alarmism helps less than left-wing activists believe," Gauck said. He also said it was a mistake to simply shout: Anyone who votes for Thuringia-based AfD right-winger Björn Höcke is a Nazi. "If we simplify the argument in this way, we are making a mistake."

The former president certainly advised the CDU to also have a conservative profile. "No one should scold Friedrich Merz when he tries to develop a conservative profile," he said. "We urgently need a credible, value-conservative offer for homeless conservatives, but without any resentment. That's the responsibility of the CDU/CSU in our country. But it is having a very hard time with it right now."