As the upcoming state elections in Brandenburg, Thuringia, and Saxony approach, the CDU is facing a complex challenge. The possibility of forming a government in these federal states is uncertain due to the unclear majority situation. In Thuringia, the AfD is currently leading in the polls, closely followed by the CDU and BSW.
The CDU’s incompatibility decision regarding cooperation with the Left Party and the AfD remains in effect. Although Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) of Schleswig-Holstein has advocated for increased openness in cooperating with the Left Party, Karin Prien, CDU federal vice-president, has not ruled out collaboration with the Sahra Wagenknecht alliance (BSW). However, she emphasized that assessing BSW’s candidates and political goals was essential before deciding on potential collaboration.
Günther has also called for a more open approach to the Left Party but made it clear that the CDU would not seek a coalition with them. Although he acknowledged that there were differences between his party and the Left Party, he highlighted that they were not equivalent to each other in their threat to democracy.
The political landscape in East Germany remains uncertain as election day approaches. The CDU continues to uphold its decision regarding cooperation with certain parties made at its federal party conference in 2018. As such, coalition formation may be challenging, particularly given these parties’ differing ideologies and political goals.
