Felix Banaszak, leader of the Green Party, urges democratic parties to unite against the rising influence of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in upcoming state elections. He emphasizes the need for collaboration despite ideological differences to safeguard democracy.

During the launch of his election campaign in eastern Germany, Felix Banaszak expressed concern over the AfD’s growing strength in states like Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. He called for a coalition among all democratic parties to prevent the AfD from gaining power, particularly if the Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens fail to secure seats in the state parliament.

Banaszak criticized factions within the Union for condemning the Left Party and highlighted the need for all parties to engage in dialogue post-election. He stressed that the priority should be to form a broad democratic alliance, even among parties with differing views, to counteract anti-democratic forces.

The Green Party leader also took aim at the federal government’s climate policies, particularly in light of ongoing heatwaves and energy crises. He condemned the Union’s discussions about delaying climate targets and accused them of hindering progress on energy transition initiatives, calling for urgent action to address climate change.