AfD Parliamentary Leader Warns CDU of Severe Election Losses in 2027

Bernd Baumann, the chief parliamentary manager of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) faction in the Bundestag, has warned the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) against maintaining its current political course ahead of a series of state elections in 2027. Speaking on the news platform NIUS Live, Baumann stated that the main opposition party risks major electoral losses if it refuses to break with its policy of non-cooperation with the right-wing party.

Germany faces a crowded electoral calendar in 2027, beginning on April 18 with parliamentary votes in Saarland and Schleswig-Holstein. Elections in North Rhine-Westphalia are scheduled for April 25, followed by state elections in Bremen at the end of May and Lower Saxony in September, prior to the next regular federal election scheduled for 2029.

Baumann predicted a polarized election campaign driven primarily by the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He cited the political strategy of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Minister-President Manuela Schwesig as an example, where left-leaning parties formed a government majority despite the AfD securing a higher vote share than the SPD. According to Baumann, the CDU was caught between competing political camps during that contest and suffered substantial losses as a result.

To prevent a similar outcome nationwide, Baumann urged the CDU to introduce legislative proposals in the Bundestag on key policy issues, including stricter border controls, the reversal of the combustion engine ban, and energy policy. He stated that the AfD would support CDU motions aligned with these objectives, provided the CDU abandons its political firewall strategy against his party.

The AfD manager expressed skepticism regarding whether CDU chairman Friedrich Merz or other party figures currently possess the internal support needed to execute such a strategic shift. Baumann added that without a decisive change in course, the CDU risks losing conservative voters, which he claimed would lead to a continued decline in the party's poll standings.

Written by Martina Kirchner martina.kirchner@alpineweekly.com