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‘First time in history’: Far-right AfD backing for regional politician shocks Germany

The tiny central state of Thuringia broke a German political taboo Wednesday when a candidate for the regional premiership was unexpectedly heaved into office with help from the far-right AfD party, prompting outrage.

'First time in history': Far-right AfD backing for regional politician shocks Germany
The Left's Bodo Ramelow lost the state premier vote in Thuringia. Photo: DPA

Thomas Kemmerich, a politician from the economically liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), scored 45 votes, leapfrogging incumbent Bodo Ramelow of the Left party (die Linke) by one vote.

Ramelow has served as state premier since 2014.

The result comes despite the FDP having just five seats in the Thuringia state parliament, and has led to many accusing mainstream parties like the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) of working with the AfD.

“This is the first time in the history of modern Germany that a state premier has been elected into office with AfD votes,” Erfurt political scientist André Brodocz told German broadcaster MDR on Wednesday.

READ ALSO: What does the far-right AfD's success in Thuringia mean for Germany?

The AfD's own candidate received zero votes, indicating the party's state legislators aligned as a bloc behind Kemmerich.

While the vote was secret, the liberal candidate must also have enjoyed support from lawmakers belonging to Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative CDU, as well as his FDP stablemates.

In total, the opposition parties of the CDU, FDP and AfD have 48 seats in the state parliament – six more than the minority coalition.

Media were quick to describe the event as a “political earthquake”, as mainstream parties had so far refused to countenance working with anti-immigration, anti-Islam and anti-EU AfD at any level.

Addressing the local parliament in Erfurt, Kemmerich sought to assuage concerns by insisting he would stick to a pre-election pledge not to work with the AfD.

“You have in me a bitter opponent of anything that even hints at radicalism, from the right or left, or fascism,” he said, to jeers from local MPs and shouts of “Hypocrite!” and “Charlatan!”.

How did it happen?

The far-left Die Linke (the Left), scooped 31 percent of the vote in Thuringia's state election last October, marking the first time the party has come out on top in a regional vote in Germany.

But the Left, centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens were unable to continue their majority in the Thuringia state parliament and decided to continue as a minority government.

Meanwhile, last October’s vote saw the AfD surge into second place in Thuringia with 23.4 percent. And this outcome shows how the party is using its new-found power.

Brigit Keller of The Left congratulates Thomas Kemmerich of the FDP. Photo: DPA

'Bad day for liberals'

People from across the political spectrum quickly condemned the tacit cooperation between CDU, FDP and AfD.

“Every decent liberal should be ashamed that an FDP man has been elected with votes from the AfD,” tweeted Hubertus Heil, federal labour minister from SPD.

Voices within the FDP were divided, with board member Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann tweeting that the “unacceptable and unbearable” alliance made it a “bad day for me as a liberal”.

But the party's deputy leader Wolfgang Kubicki welcomed Kemmerich's election as state premier.

AfD co-leader Jörg Meuthen told the Frankfurter Allgemeine daily the vote showed there was “less distance” between the CDU, FDP and AfD than other parties, showing the movement was part of a “middle class” majority.

It would be “understandable” if the AfD demanded ministerial jobs in Kemmerich's government, he added.

READ ALSO: AfD surges to second place in Thuringia state election

As in other eastern states, the autumn 2019 election brought a surge there for the AfD.

But in light of the firewall towards the far right, incumbent state premier Ramelow was widely tipped to be reelected.

The surprise result led to anger on social media. The hashtag #Thüringen was trending on Twitter on Wednesday.

Retired German footballer Hans Serbei said it was a “sad day” for Germany.

“For the first time since the war, Nazis help a state premier into office. I'm speechless.”

Despite the 2019 regional election robbing his coalition of absolute control in the state parliament, most observers had expected Ramelow, a popular local politician, to win a simple majority.

Talks to find a possible majority coalition, rather than continuing with his weakened alliance of Left party, social democrats (SPD) and Greens, were complicated by national politics.

Merkel's CDU, who placed third in last year's ballot after the Left and the AfD, argue both are too extreme in their positions and have a nationwide policy of not working with either party.

The dam breaking in Thuringia is all the more surprising to observers as the AfD's leader there, Björn Höcke, is one of the party's most radical figures, heading a loose movement within the party known as the “Wing”.

Björn Höcke congratulating Thomas Kemmerich. Photo: DPA

He has in the past called for a “180 degree turn” in Germany's culture of remembrance for the Holocaust and other crimes of the Nazis, which form a central pillar of the country's post-World War II political life.

Jewish leader 'horrified'

Wednesday marked a “new start for Thuringian politics,” Höcke said, adding the AfD had helped stop it becoming a “left-wing state”.

Central Council of Jews in Germany president Josef Schuster said in a statement he was “horrified” by Wednesday's vote.

“The FDP has quit the consensus among democratic parties not to work together with the AfD or to count on the far right's support,” Schuster said.

Kemmerich is only the second FDP state premier in modern German history.

Chairman of the Left Party, Bernd Riexinger, said it was 'breaking a taboo'.

The SPD in Thuringia accused the FDP of “disregarding the will of the voters”

After the election of Kemmerich, which it supported, the Thuringian CDU has demanded separation from the AfD.

“The decisive thing now is that Kemmerich makes it clear that there is no coalition with the AfD,” CDU party and faction leader Mike Mohring said.

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TERRORISM

How does Germany warn people about the threat of terrorist attacks?

Following the recent terrorist attack in Moscow, France has shifted onto the highest possible alert level for terrorist threats. Why doesn't Germany use a similar system - and how does it alert people instead?

How does Germany warn people about the threat of terrorist attacks?

Since the brutal terrorist attack on a Berlin Christmas Market back in December 2016, fears of Islamist terror seem to have receded into the background – through far-right terror has remained prevalent.

But the recent terror attack on a concert hall in Moscow, which has been attributed to a branch of IS, has heightened fears of a resurgence of Islamist violence.

In contrast to neighbouring countries, Germany doesn’t use a national terror alert system to ‘grade’ the threat of terror – but it does have another system for protecting its population and warning people. 

Here’s what you need to know about Germany’s approach to tracking threats of terrorism. 

How does Germany manage the threat of terror? 

According to the Interior Ministry, rather than relying on a system of color-coded alert levels, German security authorities take a more decentralised approach.

The Federal Criminal Police Office regularly conducts assessments of terrorist threats, which are then shared with the leaders of the federal states. If there’s a significant increase in the overall risk assessment or a specific threat emerges, the government puts “appropriate security measures” in place, the Interior Ministry states.

Unlike centralised systems in countries like France, where national threat levels are analysed and shared with the public, security responsibilities in Germany are largely decentralised, resting with individual states.

Why doesn’t Germany use terror alert levels?

When it comes to using national terror alerts to alert citizens, the Interior Ministry remains sceptical, arguing that the threat level can vary significantly between regions and even within cities.

According to the Ministry, having uniform alert levels nationwide might give the false impression that the danger is uniform everywhere, which would lead to higher levels of panic and uncertainty among citizens. 

READ ALSO: How prepared is Germany in the event of a military attack?

While alert levels could theoretically serve as a means to reach the population, ARD terrorism expert Michael Götschenberg points out that their effectiveness diminishes over time. People tend to become desensitised to frequent high alert levels, which causes people to ‘switch off’ and ultimately ignore potential threats.

Mourner at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin

A man stands in front of the memorial to the victims of the Islamist terrorist attack on Breitscheidplatz in December 2026. The Christmas Market attack was the last major Islamist attack in Germany. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

One of the main factors that renders colour-coded alerts less useful is the fact that “the levels are not linked to specific rules of behaviour for the population”, Götschenberg told Tagesschau.

Austria, for example, raised its alert level last November but emphasised that the public didn’t need to alter their behaviour in any way. This reflects authorities’ belief that the best way to fight terrorism is for the population to show resilience and refuse to give into fear.

How high is the threat of terror attacks in Germany?

In the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Moscow, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) has described the current threat of Islamist terror as “acute”.

However, the attack has not significantly changed the authorities’ perceptions of the situation. In fact, the threat was defined as acute before the latest attacks and remains so afterwards.

Several other countries, including the UK and the US, have already put out warnings for potential terrorist attacks to citizens who are considering travelling to Germany. In the UK, for example, the government cites recent attacks such as the shootings in Hanau shisha bars back in 2020 and the knife attack in Dresden the same year.

“Terrorists are very likely to try and carry out attacks in Germany,” states the official government advice, which adds that restaurants, markets, shopping centres and places of worship could be chosen for potential attacks. 

So, how will the public be warned if a plans for a specific attack become known? As well as offering general information about terrorist threat levels, the government will also release specifics that it feels are necessary for the public safety.

For example, when the authorities suspected an attack was being planned in the area around Cologne cathedral ahead of Christmas last year, warnings were sent out to residents of the city. 

On Tuesday, Faeser also revealed that she would put additional border controls in place during the European Football Championships in June and July this year. 

READ ALSO: Germany announces border controls for European Football Championship

The focus will be on protecting the country from Islamists, political extremists and other violent criminals during the competition.

“We are keeping an eye on the current threats,” Faeser told the regional Rheinische Post. 

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