AfD co-boss Alice Weidel has defended a joint public appearance planned for this Saturday with Thuringia’s AfD state boss Björn Höcke in the state capital Erfurt. “I appear with all state chairmen, Mr. Höcke is no exception,” she told the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” (NZZ).
“The pre-election campaign for the super election year 2024 has already begun. In Thuringia, Brandenburg and Saxony we think we have good chances,” she added.
Höcke is classified as a right-wing extremist by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The domestic intelligence service credits him with great influence in the party. On Saturday, the AfD is planning a demonstration followed by a rally in Erfurt. According to Weidel, he will talk to Höcke.
Weidel reiterated the AfD’s goal of wanting to co-govern in the future. “We are preparing for government responsibility. The CDU in the east will not be able to get past us permanently. It cannot permanently form a coalition with those who have lost the election.” An Insa survey commissioned by the “Thüringer Allgemeine” had recently seen the AfD in the Free State at 28 percent, its highest result measured so far. The governing left with Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow came in second with only 22 percent.
