Post by jonksy on Sept 26, 2024 18:07:41 GMT
Political showdown in Germany's Thuringia after victory by far right......
T first meeting of the new parliament in the central German state of Thuringia adjourned amid chaos on Thursday as the emboldened far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) faced off with other parties.
The gathering was the first time lawmakers met since the September 1 elections in which the AfD made historic gains, claiming more than a third of the seats and finishing in a clear first place.....
The gathering was the first time lawmakers met since the September 1 elections in which the AfD made historic gains, claiming more than a third of the seats and finishing in a clear first place.....
Initial sessions are expected to be turbulent, as the AfD has vowed to enforce its new-found prerogatives as the largest single party.
But the other parties in the Thuringian parliament - the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU), the populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), the hard-left Die Linke (The Left) and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) - have all vowed to block the AfD.
Mainstream political parties in Germany have insisted on a so-called firewall against the far right, with each vowing not to form coalitions or otherwise cooperate with the AfD.
On Thursday, the session abruptly adjourned amid a standoff over the AfD's plans to put forward Wiebke Muhsal for president of the state parliament.
The other parties have dismissed her nomination as a mere provocation, pointing in part to a past conviction for fraud, and she has little chance of commanding a majority given the opposition of all other parties.
But the other parties in the Thuringian parliament - the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU), the populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), the hard-left Die Linke (The Left) and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) - have all vowed to block the AfD.
Mainstream political parties in Germany have insisted on a so-called firewall against the far right, with each vowing not to form coalitions or otherwise cooperate with the AfD.
On Thursday, the session abruptly adjourned amid a standoff over the AfD's plans to put forward Wiebke Muhsal for president of the state parliament.
The other parties have dismissed her nomination as a mere provocation, pointing in part to a past conviction for fraud, and she has little chance of commanding a majority given the opposition of all other parties.
