Thüringen: Höcke will Wagenknecht zur Ministerpräsidentin machen

Erfurt. Thuringian AfD faction leader Björn Höcke is vying to make BSW founder Sahra Wagenknecht the next Prime Minister of Thuringia. In a video posted on X, Höcke directly references the upcoming Saxony-Anhalt state election on September 6, urging Wagenknecht to usher in "a new chapter in the party history of the Federal Republic of Germany."

The BSW is part of a coalition known as the "Cabbage Coalition" in Thuringia, consisting of CDU, BSW, and SPD. Wagenknecht had previously indicated that her party might support an AfD minister-president in Magdeburg through abstention in the decisive voting round. Simultaneously, it was announced in Thuringia that TU Chemnitz would not revoke TU Chemnitz President Mario Voigt's (CDU) doctorate title.

Höcke and his AfD party announced their intent to bring up a constructive motion of no confidence against the government. According to the Thüringer Verfassung, this can only be done if the parliament elects a successor to the Minister President by a majority of its members. This move had been initiated by the Thüringer AfD faction in February, with Höcke himself as a candidate.

The maneuver failed, but theoretically, the AfD and BSW could form a majority in the Thüringer Landtag, with the AfD holding 32 of the 88 seats and the BSW holding 15, making a majority of 45 votes. In his posted video, Höcke stated that Wagenknecht had acknowledged the failure of Brandmauer politics, but doubted that Wagenknecht's change of mind would result in action if elected to the Thüringian state parliament.

In Thuringia, Höcke's party would support Voigt, who wishes to cling to his position. Höcke urged Wagenknecht to prove that the BSW is not a cartel party, "taking on state political responsibility."