Former German President Joachim Gauck has proposed an all-party alliance against the AfD in light of next year's state elections. "If the AfD is ahead in a state election, all democratic parties must join forces to prevent the AfD from governing. From the CDU to the Left," Gauck demanded in the magazine "Stern." "We must already send the clear signal with this AfD: They will never come to power." Liberal democracy must prove to be defensible.
In September 2024, new state parliaments will be elected in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg. In all three states, the AfD is currently ahead in polls.
Gauck made explicit reference to Thuringia. "I was scolded when I had a certain unease that someone from the Left Party became prime minister," he said, referring to Thuringia's Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (Left Party). "But when I see his words and his actions today, then I can only say: there is a change recognizable." He had said after the last election that the CDU should tolerate the Ramelow government.
