Berlin CDU Politician Plans to Vote for AfD Candidate, Cracking the Firewall

The informal ban on CDU-AfD cooperation known as the Brandmauer is fracturing in Berlin's Reinickendorf district. CDU politician Marvin Schulz announced that he intends to vote for AfD candidate Thomas Ruschin into a district office position at Thursday's district assembly session. Ruschin, a 53-year-old lawyer, switched from the CDU to the AfD in 2020. Schulz argues that the AfD, which won approximately 18 percent in the district election, is democratically entitled to district representation. He frames his position as practical policy instead of party logic, telling Bild that Germany's political system "is inefficient and is falling apart." CDU Berlin secretary-general Lukas Krieger stressed that no formal agreements or joint strategies with the AfD are permitted, while former SPD district chair Jörg Stroedter described the planned vote as a breach of the Brandmauer. The debate extends beyond Reinickendorf: Clara von Nathusius, until recently federal treasurer of the Junge Union, had already called the firewall a "failed project" and has since left the JU federal board after clashing internally over her criticism of both the Brandmauer and Chancellor Friedrich Merz.