Germany's CDU Party Members Speak in Favor of Negotiations With AfD
© Sputnik / Igor Zarembo
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Six members of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party spoke on Wednesday in favor of negotiations with the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which came in second in the local elections in the federal state of Saxony despite being labeled there as extremist.
"A political opponent must not be viewed as an enemy if they do not resort to violence. This also means that all democratically elected parliament members must talk to all other democratically elected parliament members," an open letter signed by the former secretary general of the CDU branch in Saxony, Frank Kupfer, former Justice Minister of Saxony Manfred Kolbe and four other party members said.
Amid the current economic and migration crisis, Germany needs a new political culture of cooperation, the CDU politicians said.
"Thirty percent of Saxony residents voted for the AfD, and our respect for those voters requires that we also talk to their elected representatives," the letter read.
13 September, 17:26 GMT
The CDU won the elections in Saxony on September 1, securing 41 seats out of 120, while the AfD received 40.
In 2023, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), the German domestic security agency, labeled AfD branches in the states of Saxony, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt as right-wing extremists.
Despite this, the AfD came second in the European Parliament polls in Germany in June 2024, overtaking Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left Social Democrats. The AfD stands for tougher migration controls and a negotiated solution to the conflict in Ukraine.
