Alliance for Thuringia

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Bündnis für Thüringen
Alliance for Thuringia
AbbreviationBfT
Founded21 October 2023 (2023-10-21)
IdeologyNational conservatism[1]
Factions:
Grassroots democracy[2]
Querdenken[2]
Political positionRight-wing[3]
Coalition membersBfT
FW
DieBasis
WerteUnion
BD[4]
Colours  Purple
  Grey
  Gold
  Dark blue
Landtag
2 / 90
Website
https://www.buendnis-fuer-thueringen.de/

Alliance for Thuringia (German: Bündnis für Thüringen, BfT) is an electoral alliance for the upcoming 2024 Thuringian state election.

History[edit]

In the 2019 Thuringian state election, the Free Voters failed to register a list[5] while in the other two East German state elections in Saxony and Brandenburg, the Free Voters and their sister party BVB/FW received 3.4% and 5.0% respectively. In the aftermath of the 2020 Thuringian government crisis, former AfD, CDU and FDP members who opposed the reelection of Bodo Ramelow founded the party Citizens for Thuringia [de].[6]

In June 2023, there were first discussions between the Free Voters and Citizens for Thuringia about a potential merger.[5] On 8 September 2023, the first attempt over an alliance between the Free Voters, Citizens for Thuringia, the anti-vaccination party DieBasis and the Values Union, a right-wing movement within the CDU/CSU, was made under the banner of the Free Voters.[7] The federal leadership of the Free Voters intervened and declared DieBasis, Citizens for Thuringia and the Values Union incompatible with the core values of the Free Voters.[8] The chairman of the Free Voters in Thuringia Uwe Rückert resigned on 13 September 2023 over the failure of the alliance.[3]

On 21 October 2023, a new attempt was made. This time Citizens for Thuringia would be the party which registers for the election and would allow legally independent representatives from the other parties to run on their list including an association called "Free Voters Thuringia" led by Rückert.[9] On a conference on 16 December 2023, Bündnis Deutschland joined the alliance.[10]

Composition[edit]

The table below lists the organizations in the coalition.

Organization Main ideology Political position Leader Seats
Citizens for Thuringia [de] (BfTh) Right-wing populism Right-wing Steffen Teichmann
2 / 90
Grassroots Democratic Party of Germany (dieBasis) Anti-vaccination Big tent Viviane Fischer
0 / 90
Values Union National conservatism Right-wing Hans-Georg Maaßen
0 / 90
Alliance Germany (BD) National conservatism Centre-right to right-wing Steffen Große
0 / 90
Free Voters Thuringia (FWT) Regionalism Centre-right Uwe Rückert
0 / 90

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Landtagswahl 2024: "Bürgerbündnis für Thüringen" tritt mit gemeinsamer Liste an". MDR. 22 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Kleinparteien: Die Kleinen wollen groß rauskommen." [Small parties: The little ones want to make it big]. Zeit. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Thüringer Freie-Wähler-Chef gibt Posten ab". Der Spiegel. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Mut zur Gestaltung für Thüringen, Deutschland, unsere Heimat". Bündnis für Thüringen. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b Otto, Elmar (6 June 2023). "Fusionsgedanken zwischen Freien Wählern und Bürger für Thüringen". Thüringer Allgemeine. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Partei Bürger für Thüringen gegründet". Die Zeit. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  7. ^ Debes, Martin (8 September 2023). "Thüringer Kleinparteien verbünden sichzur Landtagswahl - das sind die Pläne". Thüringer Allgemeine. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  8. ^ Free Voters (10 September 2023). "FREIE WÄHLER Bundesvorstand gegen Thüringer Wahlbündnis". Presseportal.de. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  9. ^ Deutsche Presse-Agentur (21 October 2023). "Bündnis von Kleinstparteien will mit Liste zur Wahl antreten". Süddeutsche Zeitung. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Sven-Jarno Bien (dieBasis) auf der 2. Zukunftskonferenz für Thüringen". dieBasis Thuringia. Retrieved 14 January 2023.