German leaders react to far-right surge in Thuringia, Saxony

The state premier of Bavaria, Markus Söder, said it gave him “a funny feeling in the stomach” to think about Christian Democrats in Saxony or Thuringia having to contemplate coalition government with either the socialist Left Party or the populist left-wing BSW. 

The CDU was the strongest party in Saxony and the second strongest in Thuringia, and therefore looks set to lead the government of both states — given that no parties say they are willing to team up with the AfD. 

But in both states, to form a majority government, the CDU will need allies far to the left of center that would seem unthinkable in Bavaria.

“It’s not just about forming a government, so that you have a government,” Söder said. He warned that forming a poorly functioning coalition might merely risk strengthening the AfD further. 

Söder, who is flirting with the idea of standing for chancellor next year, also argued that the results showed how important it was for a change of federal government — nicknamed the “traffic light” coalition in German because of the red, yellow and green party colors.

“The traffic light didn’t just lose,” he said. “The traffic light is a smoking ruin.” 

The head of the Bavarian CSU again hinted at his chancellor ambitions, albeit while stressing that the other potential candidate was the larger CDU sister party’s leader Friedrich Merz. 

“For me, being state premier is the finest office, but I would not shy away from taking responsibility for the country,” he said. 

Merz and Söder have said they intend to team up and reach a recommendation to put to the party on the so-called “chancellor question” in “late summer” of this year. Merz said on Monday that that late summer was not yet over and that Söder’s comments were nothing new. 

“It’s not about who does it, it’s about what the end result is,” Söder said, saying the CSU and CDU were “united as never before.”