Party leader hubert aiwanger wants to mobilize a coalition of left-wing and conservative parties against the euro bailout and thus pave the way for the free voters, who have so far been successful mainly in bavaria, to enter the bundestag. The first major rally against the ESM bailout is planned for this saturday in munich. The fact that the NPD also wants to get involved is met with reluctance.
The free voters are primarily a force in local politics; so far they have only been elected to the state parliament in bavaria. Where else they contested state elections, they fell far short of the five-percent hurdle. Nevertheless, national chairman aiwanger wants to lead the grouping into federal and european politics – as a civic alternative to the union and FDP. A federal members’ meeting on 16. June in the bavarian geiselwind is considered a matter of form on this way.
Main election campaign theme in the fall of 2013: resistance to the euro bailout. Aiwanger has forged a broad coalition of interests for this purpose. The taxpayers’ association – whose bavarian state chairman rolf von hohenhau is a member of the CSU – is also involved, as is the organization "more democracy", which is close to the greens and campaigns for the introduction of referendums at all levels.
The north german noblewoman beatrix von storch – born duchess of oldenburg – also supports the "freie wahler. It belongs to the right-wing liberal camp and in the past has campaigned, among other things, for the restitution of east german real estate expropriated by the soviets after 1945. At the presentation of the anti-euro-campaign in the middle of may, she said: "the people’s uprising, that’s what we need."
But it should be a popular uprising without right-wing radicals. Free voters are worried that the presence of extremists could overshadow the actual theme of the rally at stachus in munich. Because the NPD sees protest against the euro as an "NPD issue par excellence". That’s why it will continue to support the protest against the "euro madness.
Aiwanger defends himself: "we stand for a burgher-friendly, open-minded and democratic europe. We don’t want to see extremists, we distance ourselves from them and hope they stay at home."The free voters had already contacted the munich police for this reason.
The protest against the euro bailout is supposed to be a political market hole in which the free voters want to catch votes. "Here we have a unique selling point compared to the other parties," says aiwanger. "If we get it right, that could be enough for the free voters to get into parliament."If the NPD now jumps on board, there is a danger that the right-wing radicals will contaminate the whole project.
However, the main opponent of the "freie wahler" remains the established competition. "CSU and FDP are playing a false game here," criticizes aiwanger. The rescue umbrellas are "fully comprehensive insurance for speculators". CSU considers aiwanger’s positions populist – even without NPD.