Rallies condemned ruling CDU party after it teamed up with far-right AfD party to vote the leader of the state of Thuringia out of office on February 5th.
ADVERTISEMENTThousands of anti-fascist demonstrators marched through the city of Erfurt on Saturday, not just against the far-right, but also against the governing CDU party for siding with Alternative for Germany party in a recent state election.
They're outraged the CDU teamed up with the AfD party to vote the left-wing leader of the state of Thuringia out of office on February 5th.
One candidate, Susanne Hennig-Wellsow from Die Linke party, threw flowers at the feet of the CDU's newly elected candidate Thomas Kimmerich in disgust instead of congratulating him when the state legislature met.
Kimmerich resigned a day later.
His brief win has caused a political storm in Germany and broken a historical precedent. Not since the Nazis ruled in the 1930s and 40s has a government been from the far-right or found common cause with it.
It's also precipitated the fall of Chancellor Angela Merkel's would-be successor Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer who was accused of failing to instil discipline in the CDU party.
Merkel called the win for Kimmerich "unforgivable" and had urged the result to be reversed.
Then, on Friday, another political head rolled when the CDU's leader in Thuringia state, Mike Mohring, also resigned for congratulating Kimmerich on his win.