The CDU does not want to rule out the Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) alliance as a possible coalition partner in a federal state, despite concerns expressed by former GDR civil rights activists. Of course, the BSW is not a "preferred candidate" for the CDU, said Thorsten Frei (CDU), Parliamentary Secretary of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, in Berlin. The alliance is also "still a black box" in many respects - both in terms of content and personnel.
However, "it doesn't help us if we rule out all sorts of things from Berlin." The CDU has party conference resolutions that rule out cooperation with the AfD or the Left Party. However, it would be wrong to take individual options off the table with regard to all others. "At the end of the day, it's about dealing with what the sovereign decides." A look at Thuringia and Saxony, where a new state parliament will be elected on 1 September, shows that it could be "extremely complicated", said Frei.
