On April 11th, a TV duel is set to take place between Björn Höcke, the leader of the Thuringian AfD faction, and the Thuringian CDU chief Mario Voigt. The debate will be broadcast live on WELT TV at 8:15 PM. The history between the two candidates leading up to the duel is long and complex.
Ahead of the TV duel, criticism from the left has emerged regarding the decision to include Björn Höcke in the debate with Mario Voigt. The Left Party leader, Martin Schirdewan, accuses the CDU of legitimizing Höcke and making him appear respectable by engaging in a conversation with him. He urges CDU chief Friedrich Merz to intervene and prevent the debate from taking place.
Schirdewan believes that giving Höcke a platform to speak makes others complicit in his extremist views. He argues that the CDU’s decision to engage in a dialogue with Höcke positions them as being sympathetic to right-wing ideologies. He calls on Merz to put a stop to what he describes as a “black-brown freak show.”
Mario Voigt, on the other hand, defends his decision to participate in the TV duel, claiming that it is vital for democracy to engage in such debates. Voigt states that the debate with Höcke is an opportunity to highlight the risks that he poses to the country and its prosperity. He believes that avoiding these discussions for the past decade has been counterproductive.
The Thuringian CDU supports Voigt’s participation in the debate and stands behind him in his efforts to challenge Höcke’s anti-European policies. Despite the controversy surrounding the TV duel, the debate is scheduled to take place on Thursday evening on WELT TV. The discussion will focus on European politics and other policy areas and will be moderated by Tatjana Ohm and Jan Philipp Burgard.
Insa polls from March indicate that the AfD is leading the polls for the upcoming state election with 31% support, followed by the CDU at 21% and the Left Party of Minister President Bodo Ramelow at 18%. The Thuringian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified Höcke’s party as “proven right-wing extremist.” Höcke himself was a co-founder of the extremist faction “Flügel” within the AfD, which has since been officially dissolved. Chefredakteur of WELT TV, Jan Philipp Burgard, emphasizes the importance of engaging in political discussions, regardless of differing ideologies.
