No rejection of BSW coalition: Kretschmer calls for dialog

Despite critical comments by CDU leader Friedrich Merz on the Sahra Wagenknecht alliance, Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer is not ruling out a coalition with the new party for the time being. "I believe that the discussion and this hysterical approach have ensured that populists have become so strong in this election," said the CDU politician in Leipzig on Tuesday. The only thing that would help now is to talk to people about what they want and what they don't want.

"The discussion in the coming weeks, months and years must be: What do you want? What do you stand for? Which party stands for what?" said Kretschmer. In addition, local councils are not parliaments, but part of the administration. "The work must now also take place in line with this."

A mayor or district administrator should, according to Kretschmer, "talk to all the people who are in this type of municipal representation". After all, not everyone in the AfD is a right-wing extremist and certainly not every AfD voter. The leadership, on the other hand, is "made up of such people".

The Saxon state government held a joint cabinet meeting with North Rhine-Westphalia on Tuesday. NRW Minister-President Hendrik Wüst advised "not to make too many sweeping recommendations from above for local requirements". "You have to look very closely at the situation and who you are actually dealing with," said the CDU politician.

In NRW, the Union has the privilege of being able to work within a different framework. In this respect, this is a different starting situation than in Saxony. Wüst appealed to remain in contact and to fight for a consensus. However, it was also clear that the CDU/CSU would not work with extremists.

On Monday evening, CDU party leader Merz expressed his opposition to a possible coalition between his party and the BSW. When asked whether he was prepared to consider working with the BSW to prevent AfD minister presidents in the east, Merz said: "That is absolutely clear, we have always said that. We do not work with such far-right and far-left parties." He added that Sahra Wagenknecht was both far-left and far-right.