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🇩🇪 Germany /Elections & Politics

After state election, SPD district chief calls for talks with AfD

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources Ongoing story
  • Markus Bauer, an SPD district administrator in Saxony-Anhalt, called for other parties to hold talks with the AfD after it won 43.8% and emerged as the state’s strongest party.
  • Bauer said the voters’ decision must be respected, although the AfD is classified by the state’s domestic intelligence agency as definitively right-wing extremist.
  • Other parties had ruled out an AfD coalition before the election, while Bauer said political decisions should be judged on their substance and constitutional rights.

Markus Bauer, an SPD district administrator in Saxony-Anhalt, says the state’s other parties should talk to the AfD after its election victory. "The AfD was democratically elected and is clearly the strongest force," Bauer told the news portal t-online. "It must not now be ignored and excluded."

The AfD was democratically elected and is clearly the strongest force. It must not now be ignored and excluded.

· Markus BauerThe SPD district administrator called for talks with the AfD after its state election victory.

The AfD won 43.8% in Sunday’s state election, putting it far ahead of the other parties, but it cannot govern alone. Saxony-Anhalt’s domestic intelligence agency classifies the party as definitively right-wing extremist. Before the election, the other parties in the state parliament had ruled out forming a coalition with it.

Bauer said the voters’ decision must be respected and urged all parties to discuss possible coalitions. "Not talking to one another is a no-go for me, both in politics and in private life," he said. "That only widens the social divide. Then we risk ending up with American conditions."

Not talking to one another is a no-go for me, both in politics and in private life. That only widens the social divide. Then we risk ending up with American conditions.

· Markus BauerBauer warned against excluding the AfD from political discussions.

He said parties should define themselves not by political barriers but by moral red lines, shared values and a commitment to fundamental rights. In his district council, Bauer said, motions are introduced, debated and accepted or rejected regardless of which party submitted them. "Anything that dehumanizes people or violates the law has no chance."

We should not define ourselves by political barriers, but by moral red lines, shared values and a commitment to our fundamental rights.

· Markus BauerHe described the principles he said should guide cooperation.

Bauer has served as district administrator of the Salzland district since 2014 and is vice president of the Saxony-Anhalt District Council. The AfD won 49.7% in his district, while the SPD received 7.5%.

Anything that dehumanizes people or violates the law has no chance.

· Markus BauerBauer explained the limits he said would apply to decisions in his district council.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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