In the Schwerin runoff, a candidate from the SPD meets one from the AfD. The fact that the Liberals are not issuing a recommendation for voting has now triggered clear criticism.
Shortly before the runoff election for the mayor of Schwerin between SPD incumbent Rico Badenschier and AfD candidate Leif-Erik Holm, the local FDP drew criticism. It was the only party that did not give its supporters an election recommendation and thus refrained from openly distancing themselves from the AfD candidate.
This not only brought representatives of the other parties who lost in the first ballot to the scene, but also caused resentment among the federal leadership of the FDP, according to a report by the NDR. The AfD stands for racism, anti-Semitism and authoritarian politics. The broadcaster quotes a spokesman for the federal party as saying that it has nothing to do with the social and political understanding of the FDP.
The FDP in Schwerin supported the mayor candidate Thomas Tweer, who was also supported by the CDU and the independent citizens’ voter community, and who campaigned for Badenschier’s election after his defeat. The federal party thinks this is correct.
FDP district association: “That they know it themselves”
The decision of the Schwerin district association also caused displeasure in the state party. “I would have wished that a different result had been reached,” said General Secretary David Wulff. At the same time he criticized Badenschier’s lack of willingness to talk. It is known that the FDP city representatives did not agree with many of his decisions. However, there was no discussion after the runoff.
The SPD politician does not reflect the positions of the FDP, said FDP District Chief Frank Haacker, justifying his refusal to support Badenschier. However, the board of the FDP district association has confidence in the FDP voters “that they themselves know what a Mayor Holm from the AfD would mean for the city”. The FDP does not support the AfD and cooperation is “completely impossible”.
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Criticism of the behavior of the Schwerin FDP had also come from the Greens, the Left and the SPD. The German Institute for Human Rights has clearly established that the AfD as a whole is a racist and right-wing extremist party, explained Green Party leader Ole Krüger. “When a right-wing populist like Leif-Erik Holm is in the runoff, it’s all the more important that the democratic forces stand together,” said Krüger, calling on the FDP to support the democratic candidate.
Left: “I would have expected a rethink”
“By the way, I would elect anyone from the FDP in a runoff without hesitation and publicly advertise for him or her if it were about the election against an AfD candidate,” tweeted Schleswig-Holstein SPD federal politician Ralf Stegner.
The left-wing member of parliament Michael Noetzel described the attitude of the Schwerin FDP as incomprehensible. “At the latest after this party in Thuringia was hoisted into the prime minister’s office by fascists for a short time, I would have expected the so-called liberals to rethink,” wrote Noetzel.
“I think it’s completely correct that the local FDP behaves neutrally,” said AfD candidate Holm in response to criticism of the district association. It is significant that an inferior party is pressured into having to actively recommend a competitor. The critics are not concerned with the content, but only with the fact that the “united front” is not broken.
Incumbent Badenschier received 42 percent of the votes in the first ballot on Sunday. Holm came second with 27.4 percent. The runoff will take place on June 18th.
