Thüringen: Spahn will Björn Höcke per Trick von der Wahl ausschließen | NIUS Live

Instead of banning the entire AfD, CDU parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn is now proposing a different idea: Individual AfD politicians should be stripped of their right to stand for election, most notably Thuringia's state leader, Björn Höcke. Specifically, this would mean that Höcke would no longer be allowed to run for office. This proposal is not entirely new. About a month ago, former SPD Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück expressed a similar idea in a podcast with BILD reporter Paul Ronzheimer, explicitly citing "Mr. Höcke" as an example. At NIUS Live, we analyze what this debate means for democracy. Current law stipulates that the loss of eligibility to stand for election only occurs after a legally binding conviction resulting in a prison sentence of at least one year, decided by an independent court. This conviction is not based on a political opinion, but on a proven criminal offense. Furthermore, several AfD local politicians in Lower Saxony are already being vetted by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution before they are even allowed to run in local elections. Further fueling the controversy are comments from Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who, referring to the state elections in eastern Germany, stated that parts of the population are no longer voting "left or right," but rather "against the system of democracy." According to Steinmeier, this is no longer sufficient to meet the required impartiality of the office. This statement was criticized in the discussion as a departure from the intended neutral role of the Federal President. What is really behind the plans against Höcke, and why is the discussion about disenfranchisement taking away his voting rights happening now? On NIUS Live, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Pauline Voss, NIUS reporter Julius Böhm, and legendary reporter Waldi Hartmann discussed the topic with host Alex Purrucker. ⚠️👉Watch, like, share, and subscribe here! 🔴 NIUS LIVE, Germany's biggest conservative morning show, every Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. Now on nius.de, DAB+, and YouTube. Tune in and spread the word! ... 📢 𝗡𝗜𝗨𝗦, 𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗵𝗿𝗵𝗲𝗶𝘁 Subscribe now & activate the bell 🔔 https://www.youtube.com/@niusde/streams ⭐️ Subscribe to the voice of the majority now and become a NIUS Insider ↪️ https://nius.de/abo Website: https://nius.de Facebook:   / stimmedermehrheit   X:   / niusde_   Instagram:   / nius.de   TikTok:   / nius.de   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/63drOxQ... #NIUS #NIUSLive #AfD #Politics #Germany