Thuringia: Björn Höcke seeks non-partisan premier with BSW after Wagenknecht refusal

Following Sahra Wagenknecht's refusal to be considered for the role, Björn Höcke, the leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Thuringia, has proposed a new strategy for forming a regional government. Höcke has called on the BSW (Sahra Wagenknecht Union) faction to collaborate with the AfD in searching for a candidate who is not affiliated with any political party to lead the state government.

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Let us jointly search for an independent personality who possesses authority, can unite the country, and can gather a majority in the Thuringian state parliament.

In an open letter to the BSW members of the Thuringian state parliament, Höcke stated, "Let us jointly search for an independent personality who possesses authority, can unite the country, and can gather a majority in the Thuringian state parliament." This initiative follows a decision by the BSW federal board, which instructed its Thuringian faction to withdraw support from the incumbent Minister-President Mario Voigt of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The BSW federal board argued that the party should not enable someone who prioritizes personal interests over the welfare of the state.

Wagenknecht had previously rejected Höcke's suggestion of her potentially leading the government, citing that the majority of BSW representatives in the Thuringian parliament oppose the federal board's stance and would not vote for her. She explained that the BSW faction in Thuringia is largely at odds with the federal leadership.

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The BSW must not make itself the majority provider for a man who places his personal interests above the welfare of the state. We therefore expect the BSW faction in the Thuringian state parliament not to continue supporting Mario Voigt and to support the path to a non-partisan Minister-President, who governs with shifting majorities, also in Thuringia.

Höcke is now embracing Wagenknecht's expressed desire for a non-partisan leader. He emphasized in his letter that discussions between parliamentary factions should be standard practice in a democratic system and invited the BSW to a meeting. Minister-President Voigt is currently under political pressure after his doctoral degree was revoked by the Technical University of Chemnitz. The AfD faction is reportedly preparing a constructive vote of no confidence, which would require a majority to elect a new Minister-President in place of Voigt. Theoretically, the AfD and BSW could form such a majority in the Thuringian state parliament.

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the majority of those who sit in the Thuringian state parliament on the BSW ticket are in opposition to the federal board and would not elect me