The state elections in Thuringia are approaching and CDU top candidate Mario Voigt is in campaign mode. The CDU doesn't want to make a big mistake from 2020 this time, he says.
Erfurt – Late summer brings the decision: How strong can the AfD actually become? There are state elections in Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia from September 1st, where the party currently has high poll numbers. Mario Voigt is the CDU's top candidate in Thuringia – and in election campaign mode. Recently there has often been talk of the CDU as a firewall against the AfD. The Thuringian CDU leader would formulate it differently, as he explains in the interview.
What do you understand by the term “firewall,” Mr. Voigt?
A normal citizen cannot understand the term firewall. All of us in the CDU leadership speak plainly when dealing with the AfD and also the traffic lights. I sometimes have the impression that the debate is held up by the political left. Our values compass is clear. The CDU presents its own positions and does not define itself through or through others. We don't sit like a rabbit in front of a rattlesnake, but instead confront the AfD hard on the issue.
Demo against the right: “The decision is made at the ballot box”
In Germany, hundreds of thousands are demonstrating against right-wing extremism and the AfD. Also in Thuringia. What do you say to these people who seem to be worried?
This is an encouraging sign for the soul of our country, which comes from the people. I was at demonstrations in Altenburg and Jena myself. When someone from the AfD blusters about remigration and expelling millions, it is dangerous for this country. But the decision comes at the ballot box. If there were better politics and the pressing issues of high living costs, unregulated migration or a stagnating economy were addressed, then the AfD would be smaller. It's no coincidence that the AfD was only half as strong when the CDU was in power. The traffic lights lack any trust among the population. The CDU has already won the first election of this year against the AfD.
You mean the district election in the Saale-Orla district.
Exactly. Not avoiding people's problems, offering solutions and being close to them – that's what helped us. Then you win elections.
Is AfD politician Björn Höcke a Nazi?
North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst recently described AfD politicians as Nazis. How do you find that?
I think it is important that the ideology is disclosed and clearly stated.
The Thuringian AfD leader Björn Höcke is considered to be a right-wing extremist. Is he a Nazi?
Yes, he is a right-wing extremist and follows an inhumane ideology.
Thuringia state election 2024: “CDU is the only people’s party in love”
Bernd Baumann from the AfD recently said that if the CDU doesn't work with the AfD, it will tear them apart. What do you say to a sentence like that?
I think that's absolute nonsense. The CDU is the only remaining large people's party in Germany. The question now is: CDU or AfD. Do people want a new beginning and order on such important issues as inflation, energy, security, migration – or do they instead want pre-programmed chaos with the AfD? When it comes to the question of how we can get Germany back on track, the left-wing parties have been deregistered in terms of content and also in people's trust. The CDU, on the other hand, has a clear stance on this and the voters will reward that.
What does this attitude look like?
People are fed up with the traffic lights in the federal government and with the Ramelow government here in Thuringia. Many have the feeling that our country has fallen into disarray from Berlin to Erfurt. The government is divided, has no control over finances, the economy is groaning and there is no order in refugee policy. Hard work, respect and justice hardly count anymore. People lack hope that things will get better under this government. This is a huge opportunity for the Union to make it clear that we have a different course for this country.
Can you describe this course?
There are several points. Firstly: The currently unregulated immigration is a huge problem, we want to bring order to it. Secondly: We have to do more to support the hard-working people in this country. That's why I'm fighting for citizens' money to be abolished. Because that is the wrong incentive in this country. Instead, any hours worked beyond the weekly working hours should be exempt from tax. The social year is also a major project of the CDU. In doing so, we strengthen our community and bring us all closer together instead of just dividing us. And last but not least, life has to be made easier for people again. Less paternalism, less bureaucracy and more plain language.
CDU Thuringia leader Mario Voigt: “Many feel reminded of 1989”
Some time ago, Friedrich Merz spoke of “little pashas” in connection with migration and problems with young people of Arab origin. Is this a type of plain language that the CDU is currently using or doing harm?
I think that plain language is important, especially for people here in the East. They have built up their little wealth since 1990 and now see that it is in danger because everything is becoming more expensive. The potential for frustration is high and many here are reminded of 1989.
You mean the time shortly before the GDR collapsed?
Yes. Just like back then, everyone knows that something is wrong, but everyone is surprised that nothing is happening. That's why it's important to voice your concerns and make it clear that all problems can be solved. And not to speak out about the division in society, as the AfD does.
Can
you understand why people in East Germany are currently reminded of the year 1989?
I'm just repeating what many people tell me. People in the East have a keen sense of when something goes wrong. You have already seen a system fail. It is all the more important that politics shows perspectives and doesn't just carry on like this. Currently, people are ruling bypassing the will and feelings of the people. There must be a political change in the federal government, but also in Thuringia.
In 2020, the CDU and FDP elected Thomas Kemmerich as Prime Minister to bring about change. With votes from the AfD. This was considered breaking a taboo. Can something like this happen again?
No, the CDU would put forward a candidate itself in the third round of voting. Something like this won't happen again.
Could there be collaboration with the Left in the future?
No, that does not exist.
Your party colleague Mike Mohring recently spoke out in favor of more pragmatism.
We have a fundamentally different image of society and understanding of the state than the left. The incompatibility decision is the basic belief expressed in words. At our core, we want to unleash the power of society and bring prosperity to everyone. The left wants dependence on the state. A common policy is impossible for the CDU. For me there are also personal reasons.
In what way?
My grandfather was forcibly dispossessed by the communists. He lost everything in six hours. I reject the politics of the left. Regardless, it is on a downward trajectory in Germany.
The new Sahra Wagenknecht alliance, on the other hand, recently had relatively high approval ratings in surveys. Do you see opportunities for collaboration?
I can't answer that concretely yet. We first have to see what is actually happening, what program and what people BSW is using here in Thuringia. As of now, we basically know nothing.
If you were Prime Minister of Thuringia, what would you tackle first?
For me there are three issues that need to be addressed immediately. The first is to give the economy room to breathe again. In Thuringia we have been lagging behind in economic growth for nine years. We are falling behind the West and the other East German states. This costs people wealth. Point two is the education sector. Every tenth hour in Thuringia is canceled. I want to end the teacher shortage quickly. And the third thing is to limit unregulated immigration through sensible measures in the country. In concrete terms, this means that those who could be repatriated will actually be repatriated. We also need to switch from cash to benefits in kind. Two CDU district administrators have already made a start with the payment card and it is working. This is solution-oriented politics that sets us apart from others.
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