Free Voters: Conflict over firewall to AfD continues to smoulder

The state association of the Free Voters (FW) in Saxony does not want to back down in the dispute with the federal party over a firewall to the AfD. "It is neither an objective nor desirable to enter into strategic alliances with the AfD. However, we don't want to put their voters behind a firewall, but rather find a solution to their problems," said the head of the FW in Saxony, Thomas Weidinger, on Friday in response to an inquiry. Not wanting to have anything to do with them would be wrong.

At their national party conference for the European elections on Saturday, the Free Voters distanced themselves from political extremism. 92 percent of the more than 440 members voted in Bitburg in favor of a motion prohibiting cooperation with the Alternative for Germany. A supplementary motion was unanimously adopted to exclude cooperation with extreme political forces on the left and right spectrum.

The party rejects firewalls against political opponents, Weidinger made clear in a statement afterwards. On Friday, he said: "We will not deviate one millimeter from the content of our press release; we consider firewalls to be the wrong tool. I also don't see how our press release violates the party conference resolution," Weidinger emphasized. He is "very relaxed" about any party expulsion proceedings.

On Thursday, however, FW General Secretary Gregor Voht called on his party colleagues in the Free State to turn back. "We hope that our colleagues in Saxony will come to their senses," he told the "Sächsische Zeitung" newspaper: "The firewall to the AfD must stand." It is not optional to choose which fundamental resolutions to follow and which not. In principle, a party conference resolution is binding for all levels of the party. There must now be a clear commitment to the party's clear demarcation decision.

"The Federal Executive Committee must ask itself what the party conference decision is still worth if the AfD wins over a third of the seats in Saxony and thus holds a blocking minority. Then we will have to talk to the AfD anyway," countered Weidinger.