Björn Höcke, leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the eastern state of Thuringia, offered on Wednesday to support left-wing populist Sahra Wagenknecht as state premier, a move that would challenge the consensus among mainstream German parties against cooperation with the far right. Separately, Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said on Thursday that an estimated 12,500 people have died prematurely from heat-related causes in Germany so far this year.
AfD's Höcke offers to back Wagenknecht as Thuringia premier; Germany's heat deaths reach 12,500
Björn Höcke, leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the eastern state of Thuringia, offered on Wednesday to support left-wing populist Sahra Wagenknecht as state premier, a move that would challenge the consensus among mainstream German parties against cooperation with the far right. Separately, Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said on Thursday that an estimated 12,500 people have died prematurely from heat-related causes in Germany so far this year.
Höcke issued his offer in a video posted on X, saying 'I am extending my hand to you,' and urged Wagenknecht to take the post before a regional election in neighboring Saxony-Anhalt on September 6.
The offer comes as Thuringia's current Premier Mario Voigt of the Christian Democrats (CDU) faces pressure following the withdrawal of his doctorate over plagiarism claims. The AfD has said it plans to launch another constructive vote of no confidence against Voigt. Under Thuringia's constitution, a premier can only be removed if parliament simultaneously elects a successor by a majority. The AfD and Wagenknecht's Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) together hold 47 of the state parliament's 88 seats, constituting the required majority.
The BSW is currently part of Thuringia's governing coalition alongside the CDU and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD). The AfD is the largest group in the Thuringian state parliament but does not participate in the government.
Wagenknecht has indicated that the BSW could abstain in a decisive vote for state premier in Saxony-Anhalt, potentially allowing an AfD candidate to take office there.
On the heat toll, the RKI said its figure of approximately 12,500 premature deaths is a conservative estimate. The worst-affected states were Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany, which recorded more than double the national average of heat-related deaths. The most deaths occurred among people aged 85 or older, at around 6,300; more than 3,100 of those who died were aged between 75 and 84, and nearly 1,900 between 65 and 74. The RKI expects that around 9,600 people died as a result of heat during the single week of June 22 to 28, during a severe heat wave at the end of June.
Climate scientists say heat waves will increase in severity and frequency as the Earth continues to warm, largely because of the human use of fossil fuels.
Separately, rail traffic through the southern German town of Treuchtlingen was suspended on Thursday after police found a suspicious object on the tracks that may contain explosives. Specialist Federal Police units were examining the object, discovered in the track bed at Treuchtlingen station. Police described it as posing a possible explosive hazard and said it was being X-rayed late Thursday morning. Treuchtlingen, a town of around 13,000 people located approximately 150 kilometers north of Munich, is an important railway junction connecting services to Munich and Nuremberg.
- The source does not state whether Sahra Wagenknecht or the BSW responded directly to Höcke's offer.
- The source does not state whether Thuringia Premier Mario Voigt or the CDU responded to the AfD's stated plan to launch another constructive vote of no confidence.
- The source does not state the total number of heat-related deaths in Germany in any prior year for comparison, beyond describing this year's figure as a new high.
- The source does not state what was ultimately determined about the suspicious object found at Treuchtlingen station or when rail services were expected to resume.
- The source does not state the methodology the RKI used to calculate its heat-death estimate.
- The source text supplied appears truncated; some material may be missing.
Read the original at Deutsche Welle