Otte does not see the candidacy as a provocation

Dhe CDU politician Max Otte and chairman of the arch-conservative Values ​​Union has defended his candidacy for the office of Federal President. “I don’t see it as a provocation. I’m serious,” he said on Wednesday in the presence of AfD chairman and co-group leader Tino Chrupalla and co-group leader Alice Weidel. The office and the candidacy are above the parties. He sees the candidacy as an opportunity to fill in ditches. “If you are proposed for the highest state office, which is above the parties, that is not cooperation in my eyes. It is an individual decision whether I accept this proposal or not,” Otte continued. The office is non-partisan and “I would exercise the office – God willing – non-partisan,” said Otte.

Chrupalla spoke of a “good day for democracy”. You want to come up with an alternative. Chrupalla called Otte an “honorable politician”. Weidel said that Max Otte was a venerable candidate for the Federal President.

Otte had previously rejected the CDU’s request to leave the party because of his nomination by the AfD. “There are no reasons for me to think about leaving,” Otte told the newspaper “Die Welt” on Tuesday. “The office is independent of parties, you shouldn’t look at the office from a party-political point of view.” He will run for office with the topics of social affairs and civil and fundamental rights, he said.

CDU General Secretary Paul Ziemiak had previously asked Otte to leave the party. Anyone who does not immediately rule out being elected by AfD representatives “violates the values ​​of the CDU to such an extent that they can no longer have a place in the CDU,” he said. Union faction leader Ralph Brinkhaus supports the intervention of the CDU leadership. The Union candidate is incumbent Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said the CDU politician on Tuesday in Berlin. “And anyone who runs against our candidate no longer has a place in our party. It’s as simple as that.” He assumes that the party will “handle this very, very consistently”.

Saarland CDU chairman Tobias Hans has also spoken out in favor of Otte being expelled from the CDU. It is completely wrong when a member of the CDU sees the candidacy for the office of Federal President for another party as an honor – and for a party that is partly considered anti-constitutional, criticized Hans, the Prime Minister in Saarland and a member of the CDU federal leadership is, on Tuesday. “Then he should join the AfD and leave the CDU, that would be logical.” If Otte didn’t come up with this idea himself, the CDU would have to help and exclude him from the party. “I really don’t see any other way here. We’re losing our credibility if we tolerate that.” Hans said of Otte: “Someone like that definitely has no place in the CDU. This is not only highly party-damaging behavior. Above all, this is completely incompatible with the principles of the CDU and must be sanctioned.”

“Absolutely unacceptable”

The CDU federal board wanted to discuss the further procedure on Tuesday, announced the new general secretary Mario Czaja, who is not yet in office. The CDU leadership had given Otte an ultimatum until 5:30 p.m. to explain whether he would accept the nomination. When asked about the ultimatum, Otte told the German Press Agency in Berlin: “Nobody called me. I would certainly take a call and react accordingly.”