From a reporter in eastern Germany:
Dear readers, yesterday there was a big bang in the German state of Thuringia, which dominates all the news today. To tell the whole story, I have to go into the background.

DIE LINKE had ruled in Thuringia for four years with the support of the SPD and the Greens, and Bodo Ramelow was the first German prime minister of the DIE LINKE party.

Bodo Ramelow
Ramelow is not a leftist within the left, but bourgeois moderate. And although it is actually a rule that the left quickly loses its approval in a coalition with capitalist parties, it was different in this case.

Ramelow has a popularity rating of 60% among all of the state’s voters.

On the one hand, this is due to the fact that DIE LINKE is the largest party in the coalition, on the other hand it is related to its special personality.

Coalition
Nevertheless, it must be described as a mistake that Bodo Ramelow sought the political approval of the broader middle rather than better socialist politics for the working class, because this is how the fate took its course.

When elections were held in Thuringia in 2019, the coalition of DIE LINKE, SPD and Greens had no majority due to the very weak SPD. It was tight, but still not enough. But the conservative parties were also unable to secure a majority. Unless they are in coalition with the AfD.

Leader of the Thuringia AfD gives the Nazi salute.

AfD
It can be debated whether the AfD in Germany is “only” right-wing extremist or also neo-Nazi. Here in Thuringia, the AfD is clearly fascist under the chairmanship of Nazi friend Björn Höcke!

Just a few days ago there was a small scandal when a part of the AfD youth organization “Junge Alternative” on Facebook for fun called the name “Höcke Jugend”, based on “Hitler Jugend / HJ”, the youth organization of the NSDAP. The post was deleted the same day.

February, 2020, elections
Back to current politics. Since the “progressive” coalition did not have a majority, but Bodo Ramelow is so popular, a minority government of the left, SPD and Greens was tolerated in advance, tolerating the CDU and FDP (neo-liberal economic party).

In order to be confirmed in office, he set an election date for February 5, 2020. No public election, only for members of the state parliament.

Only one other party, the AfD, presented a candidate, who was considered hopeless.

But now the election began and, to everyone’s astonishment, Ramelow was not confirmed in office!

The same with the second ballot.

Thomas Kemmerich, the previously unknown winner of the provincial elections.

Unknown winner
Another candidate registered for the third ballot, Thomas Kemmerich of the FDP. A completely unknown politician, whose party won only 5% of the vote in the last election.

And the astonishment was great when this absolute nobody was elected new prime minister in the third ballot. With just one voice advantage! With all the votes of the conservative CDU, but above all with all the votes of the fascist AfD!

Not only were the voters amazed, the newly elected Prime Minister was too.

In retrospect, this astonishment was not genuine. Suddenly he already had an inaugural speech ready, the party friends of the CDU and FDP were also well prepared for the takeover, there was not a single word of regret.

Collaboration with AfD
Thomas Kemmerich immediately emphasized that he excluded cooperation with the AfD.

What a joke! Only minutes later his first decision to continue politics was adopted – with all the votes of the AfD.

Traditionally, the different party leaders present the winner of the provincial elections with flowwers. Here, Susanne Hennig-Wellsow of the Left Party (Die Linke) walks away after throwing flowers at the feet of Free Democratic Party (FDP) candidate Thomas Kemmerich after he was elected new Thuringia premier at the state parliament in Thuringia in Erfurt, Germany, February 5, 2020.

Kemmerich also decreed that all offices of the previously governing parties must be vacated by 6 p.m. today – there has never been anything like this in Germany since the end of the Second World War.

It can confidently be called a planned feint, a coup, what happened here. And the AfD itself proclaims loudly and proudly: “Our plan has worked!”

AfD politician Tomasz Froelich immediately posted on Twitter: “Michel Friedman’s emigration is getting closer!” Friedman is a well-known Jewish moderator.

90 years ago
Another little trip into history:

Almost exactly 90 years ago, on January 23, 1930, the first German government with the participation of the NSDAP came to power in Thuringia. Also included: the DVP (predecessor of the FDP) and the WP (predecessor of the CDU).

Roots of the rise of AfD
As a layperson, I can only guess as far as how this has all come about. Regarding right-wing extremism in the east: Certainly a large part of the fascist ideology in the east, in the former GDR, arises from the feeling of being left behind. After the fall of the wall, not two equal states emerged, but the old GDR was eaten up by the capitalism of the FRG. And as is usual with capitalism, it distracts from itself and blames poverty and injustice on migrants, the unemployed, etc.

As far as right-wing extremism in the southeast (Thuringia and Saxony): I am not sure, but historically this could be due to the fact that, contrary to the others, these two federal states are mountainous. There have always been small villages and farmsteads in which one is traditionally very conservative and negative about what is new and foreign. I called my friends in Thuringia this morning and they are absolutely shocked. Bodo Ramelow is still the most popular politician in the state.

Update!
Twenty-four hours after he assumed power, Kemmerich has resigned! So now they have to hold new elections once again.