Berlin AfD Vice Stephan Brandner has confirmed that the AfD has spoken out in favor of the head of the conservative value union, Max Otte (CDU), as a candidate for the office of Federal President. The result in a switch from the federal executive board and state heads the previous evening was clear, said Brandner on Tuesday in Berlin.
He spoke of a very clear commitment to Otte. A politician has been found who enjoys a “good reputation in public”.
When asked if Otte had already agreed, Brandner said he had not spoken to him personally. “But as far as I know, he is still on fire as our candidate for the Federal President.”
The parliamentary group’s first parliamentary secretary, Bernd Baumann, added that Otte had been nominated by the Union of Values ”and we assume that’s the case”. Party and faction leader Tino Chrupalla is expected to comment on the subject at a press conference in the afternoon.
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Otte had previously not ruled out running for the AfD as a candidate. “Being offered the candidacy for Federal President is one of the greatest honors that can happen to you,” said the CDU politician to the German Press Agency when asked whether he would run for the AfD. “The office offers the chance to heal, to reconcile, to admonish. I consult with my family and think deeply about it.”
Union threatens to be expelled
The CDU leadership asked Otto to leave the party. Anyone who considers something like this as a Christian Democrat “violates the values of the CDU and has no place in our party,” said General Secretary Paul Ziemiak on Tuesday in Berlin. “We also expressly request Dr. Otte to leave the CDU.”
The CDU leadership gave Otte an ultimatum until 5:30 p.m. to explain whether he would accept the nomination. At 6 p.m., the federal executive board will discuss the further procedure, announced the new Secretary General Mario Czaja, who is not yet in office.
The parliamentary director of the Union faction in the Bundestag, Thorsten Frei (CDU), had previously said that a procedure for the committee from the CDU was inevitable if Otte ran for the AfD. “A candidacy for another party, especially in this case for the AfD, would be absolutely out of the question.”
Baden-Württemberg’s CDU faction leader Manuel Hagel also threatened Otte with expulsion from the CDU. CSU regional group chief Alexander Dobrindt suggested that the chairman of the conservative value union leave the CDU.
In an interview with the news magazine “Spiegel”, Otte defended himself against criticism: “The office of Federal President escapes the party dispute.” He considers the AfD’s proposal an honor. He sees the party “clearly on the ground of the Basic Law”. For this reason, an exclusion process is incomprehensible and incompatible with democratic principles, argued the Christian Democrat. “The warnings from the CDU play no role in my decision-making.”
Otte in criticism
The Union of Values, which claims to have around 4,000 members, sees itself as representing the conservative current in the Union, but is not an official party organization. Internal critics have long accused Otte of wanting to move the Union of Values to the right and open it to the AfD.
Otte announced in an interview in 2017 that he wanted to vote for the AfD in the federal elections – also because of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s (CDU) course. Until January 2021, the fund manager was chairman of the board of trustees of the Desiderius Erasmus Foundation, which is close to the AfD.
Otte has practically no chance of becoming President. Incumbent Frank-Walter Steinmeier is running for a further five years with the support of the governing parties and the Union. A good two weeks ago, the left had nominated the Mainz social doctor Gerhard Trabert as another candidate.
The Federal Assembly meets on February 13 to elect the Federal President. It will have 1472 members – the 736 members of the Bundestag and an equal number of people who send the 16 state parliaments.
With the votes from the SPD, Greens, FDP and CDU/CSU, Steinmeier can almost certainly count on re-election. Opposition parties have repeatedly entered their own candidates in the race for the highest office, even if this was hopeless.
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