Last meters in the Thuringian election campaign

Shortly before the state elections on Sunday, party representatives in Thuringia want to canvass for votes. The larger events include appointments by Prime Minister and Left Party top candidate Bodo Ramelow in Greiz and Gera, where his party colleagues Gregor Gysi and Jan van Aken want to support him.

Counter-protests are also expected at the AfD’s final rally with its top candidate and right-wing extremist Björn Höcke and federal chairwoman Alice Weidel in Erfurt. The police expect a total of several thousand participants on both sides.

Already on Friday, prominent politicians came to Thuringia to support their parties’ top candidates. Bavaria’s Prime Minister and CSU leader Markus Söder canvassed for votes for Mario Voigt’s CDU at an event in Suhl. SPD Federal Chairman Lars Klingbeil warned against listening to populists during the election campaign with SPD top candidate Interior Minister Georg Maier in Suhl.

Federal Foreign Minister and Green politician Annalena Baerbock warned of the loss of democratic majorities in the state parliaments at the election campaign meeting with the Green Party’s top candidate Madeleine Henfling in Erfurt. A red-red-green minority government has been in power in Thuringia since 2019.

According to surveys, it is becoming apparent that it could be difficult to find a majority after Sunday’s election. In a Forsa survey commissioned by RTL/ntv, the AfD would come first in the Free State with 30 percent. The CDU received 22 percent in the trend barometer, the BSW 17 percent. The Left Party of Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow received 14 percent, the SPD 7 percent. The Greens (4 percent) and FDP (under 3 percent) would not make it into the state parliament.

According to the ZDF political barometer, which was published on Friday night, no government with a majority could be formed in Thuringia without the AfD or the BSW. According to this survey, the AfD received 29 percent, the CDU 23 percent, the BSW 18 percent and the Left 13 percent. The Social Democrats are dangerously close to the five percent hurdle in the survey. The Greens and FDP would not make it into parliament according to this survey either.

In addition, none of the promising parties will form a coalition with the AfD, which the state’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified as definitely right-wing extremist. The CDU also prohibits a resolution declaring a coalition with the Left Party incompatible.

1.66 million Thuringians are called upon to elect a new state parliament on Sunday.