Germany lost that right decades ago. They manipulate voters through their massive force-funded state-controlled public media network and clamp down on everything right of Stalin in every way they can, including with stuff like that "Network Enforcement Law" or in short "NetzDG" - the reason why people often receive mails that their social media messages got blocked in Germany. Its not a fight for votes, its a war on information.
And if that didnt work, they also can get practical. One great example is the Thuringia government crisis in 2020. One from the FDP (Free Democrats), Kemmerich, got voted in - with the help of votes from the right-wing AfD (Alternative for Germany). Massive outcry from media and other politicians, with mentions that its "unforgivable" and "a disgrace", including from Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said that was "an unforgivable event that must be reversed". He got bullied out and "forced" (or pressured) to resign, and Ramelow (Leftist party) came in
Basically pressured and bullied into giving up his position - including by the CDU, CSU and SPD - and by his own parties chairman, Christian Lindner. Maybe "forced" is a wrong word for it.
All of this - not even because a guy from the "wrong muh right wing party" got voted in - but because a "Free Democrat" got voted in with the help of votes from the "wrong party".
Germany lost that right decades ago. They manipulate voters through their massive force-funded state-controlled public media network and clamp down on everything right of Stalin in every way they can, including with stuff like that "Network Enforcement Law" or in short "NetzDG" - the reason why people often receive mails that their social media messages got blocked in Germany. Its not a fight for votes, its a war on information.
And if that didnt work, they also can get practical. One great example is the Thuringia government crisis in 2020. One from the FDP (Free Democrats), Kemmerich, got voted in - with the help of votes from the right-wing AfD (Alternative for Germany). Massive outcry from media and other politicians, with mentions that its "unforgivable" and "a disgrace", including from Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said that was "an unforgivable event that must be reversed". He got bullied out and "forced" (or pressured) to resign, and Ramelow (Leftist party) came in
Interesting. How did they force him to resign?
Basically pressured and bullied into giving up his position - including by the CDU, CSU and SPD - and by his own parties chairman, Christian Lindner. Maybe "forced" is a wrong word for it.
Here a wiki article (beware, its like the rest of Wikipedia left-wing biased): https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regierungskrise_in_Th%C3%BCringen_2020
Here an archive from March 2020: https://archive.ph/37ZLP
All of this - not even because a guy from the "wrong muh right wing party" got voted in - but because a "Free Democrat" got voted in with the help of votes from the "wrong party".