CDU politician holds talks with AfD Union from a distance
CDU Politician Saskia Ludwig Attends Controversial Hungarian Festival
In a recent turn of events, Saskia Ludwig, a CDU politician from Brandenburg, has found herself at the centre of controversy after her participation in the Mathias-Corvinus-Collegium (MCC) festival in Esztergom near Budapest, Hungary. The MCC, a significant educational institution and political think tank, is known for its close ties to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government and its role in promoting right-wing populist ideologies.
The CDU, Ludwig's state association, has distanced itself from her involvement in the event, stating that her participation was neither on behalf of the faction nor with the knowledge of the faction leadership. Ludwig, however, defended her attendance, referring to free exchange of opinions as a central element of a democratic society.
The MCC festival, an annual event, attracts notable international and domestic figures aligned with right-wing populism, nationalism, and skepticism toward globalization, migration, and liberal democratic norms. This year's event featured speakers like former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, British political strategist Dominic Cummings, and American political figures linked to populist movements. Tech billionaire Peter Thiel, known for his right-wing conservative positions, was also a guest at the festival.
Critics argue that the MCC serves as a vehicle for advancing Orbán’s autocratic and nationalist agenda both within Hungary and internationally. The think tank and its events promote ideologies opposing climate policy, civil society engagement, gender rights, and the European Union’s integration policies, positioning MCC at the core of Orbán’s campaign to reshape Hungary as a "counterexample" to liberal Western democracies.
Ludwig's attendance at the MCC festival has sparked criticism within the CDU, with the Green Youth organization demanding her exclusion from the Union’s Bundestag faction. Jakob Blasel, co-chair of the Green youth organization, stated that the Union has a problem dealing with right-wing extremists. Gordon Hoffmann, General Secretary of the CDU Brandenburg, does not see "even the slightest majority" for cooperation with the AfD.
The CDU, in its incompatibility resolution from 2018, has ruled out any cooperation with the AfD. Ludwig has been a vocal critic of the SPD’s constitutional court candidate, Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf, and has sparked criticism before, including speaking out against a firewall with the AfD in an interview and giving a joint interview with the former AfD state chairman Alexander Gauland in 2017.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz has threatened to exclude cooperative-minded Christian Democrats from the party who are open to cooperation with the AfD. The controversy surrounding Ludwig's involvement in the MCC festival is likely to add fuel to the ongoing debates within the CDU about the party's stance on dealing with the AfD.
[1] Mathias Corvinus Collegium [2] Mathias Corvinus Collegium and the European Union [3] Mathias Corvinus Collegium Law School [5] MCC Feszt 2021 Speakers
- The Mathias-Corvinus-Collegium (MCC) is a significant educational institution and political think tank known for its close ties to governments promoting right-wing populist ideologies, such as Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government.
- The MCC, in its events and ideologies, opposes climate policy, civil society engagement, gender rights, and the European Union’s integration policies, positioning it at the core of Orbán’s campaign to reshape Hungary as a "counterexample" to liberal Western democracies.
- Notable international and domestic figures aligned with right-wing populism, nationalism, and skepticism toward globalization, migration, and liberal democratic norms were speakers at this year's MCC festival, including former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, British political strategist Dominic Cummings, American political figures linked to populist movements, and tech billionaire Peter Thiel.
- The MCC and its events have become a subject of controversy and criticism, with some arguing that it serves as a vehicle for advancing autocratic and nationalist agendas within Hungary and internationally.
