Germany: Thuringen could set the tone of German politics

Germany: Thuringen could set the tone of German politics

Angela Merkel is now the Chancellor supported by a political party that doesn't have a leader after the leader she chose to succeed her (Annegret Kramp-Karrenbaeur) resigned saying that she doesn't have enough support in the CDU.

In Thuringen, the fraction of CDU chose to vote together with Alternative für Deutschland and now the CDU itself is in limbo having to choose between left and right.

After five elections - a Federal Election in which CDU/CSU and their then partners SPD suffered significant losses - and four state elections (Brandenburg, Bavaria, Hesse and Saxony in which Alternative für Deutschland and Grünen made important gains), have been followed by what happened in Thüringen that led to the resignation of the party leader.

Will CDU decide to side with Die Linke linked to the Communist Party of the former East Germany? Will CDU decide to side with Alternative für Deutschland? CDU has been caught between a rock and a hard place. If there was to be another Federal Election, what are the chances of a leaderless political party?  SPD has already announced that if Angela Merkel falls they will not enter into a new coalition.

And this happens when discussions about the new European Union budget are ongoing and the crisis generated by coronavirus in China could affect German trade with China and the future relationship with Britain is very much in doubt. Germany without stable governance is not a stable Germany and the more politically fragmented the more difficult it will be to take important decisions both at national and international level.