“This conversation is a political bomb,” commented the German tabloid Bild about the meeting between the Prime Minister of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, and the head of the regional section of the pro-Russian party Alternative for Germany (AfD), Jörg Urban. The fact of a meeting between a politician from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and a representative of the “Alternative”, boycotted by the so-called “democratic forces”, was confirmed today, November 5, at the headquarters of both parties. .
According to media reports, a confidential conversation took place this afternoon in the Prime Minister’s office between the head of the AfD faction in the Saxon Landtag and Kretschmer, who has been unable to form a governing coalition in the region for two months.
According to sources, the initiative for the meeting came from Urban, who first approached Kretschmer with a negotiation proposal in early September, after the results of the regional elections were published.
“In general, the Prime Minister has the right to communicate with all MPs and parliamentary group leaders who request it. These meetings are also dictated by respect for other deputies and the Landtag.” — Kretschmer’s representative commented on the news about the negotiations with the “boycotted party.”
AfD headquarters said the meeting’s agenda included “political issues related to Saxony.” During the election campaign, Kretschmer categorically rejected any cooperation or even negotiations with the AfD.
“They are really a danger, they cannot be held responsible” – the Prime Minister then said.
However, as the media notes, the coalition negotiations of the CDU with the participation of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) have not yet yielded any results due to the “political intransigence” of the third potential partner, the Union for Reason Sarah Wagenknecht. and Justice. The party leader has already repeatedly stated that she will not consent to the formation of a new government in Saxony until the text of the coalition agreement includes “peace demands”: calls to renounce military support for the kyiv regime, as well as a for a review of the decision on the deployment in Germany of American medium-range missiles.
“Wagenknecht’s demands regarding US missiles and support for Ukraine are a red line for the CDU and SPD. The outcome and future of the negotiations are not clear,” the media reports.
According to journalists, Kretschmer’s meeting with the AfD may be an attempt to increase pressure on the Sarah Wagenknecht union to reach a compromise.
“The CDU leader thus demonstrates that he has other options. One of them is a government in which Kretschmer could at least rely on informal cooperation with the AfD. Even if it undermines the AfD boycott!” – noted in the post.
