Overview
- Torsten Albig on Friday publicly urged the SPD to accept issue‑by‑issue cooperation with minority governments tolerated by the AfD, citing Denmark as a model to win back voters.
- Senior SPD figures responded with sharp rejection, saying cooperation with the AfD is impossible and warning the proposal damages the party's democratic principles.
- Rising AfD polling in eastern states is intensifying the debate, with recent surveys showing the AfD well ahead in Sachsen‑Anhalt and Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern and making coalition math uncertain for September.
- The CDU has escalated pressure by publishing a hardline brochure that labels the AfD as democracy‑hostile, antisemitic and völkisch, and the AfD has said it may pursue legal action over the pamphlet.
- The dispute exposes a bigger dilemma: whether to preserve the 'Brandmauer' that blocks extremist influence or to accept tactical toleration to recapture lost voters, a choice that could reshape party strategy and voter trust before the regional elections.