This article is more than 6 months old

This article is more than 6 months old

A leftwing governor has been returned to office in the eastern German state of Thuringia, a month after state MPs voted him out of the job with far-right support and shook up Germany’s politics at the national level.

Bodo Ramelow of Die Linke won 42 votes in the 90-seat state legislature, enough to be elected by a simple majority after Angela Merkel’s CDU party abstained.

It was the second attempt in a month to form a working government in the former East German state, after CDU MPs there set off an earthquake in national politics by voting with the far-right AfD in the first vote on 5 February.

The unprecedented alliance with the far-right triggered the departure of Merkel’s designated successor, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, and sparked a new leadership contest for the German chancellor’s party.

With no majority possible in Thuringia without either AfD or Die Linke, the state became a unique crucible for the CDU’s repeated declarations that it would work with neither.

Wednesday’s re-run of the vote pitted the far-left Ramelow against the AfD’s candidate, the far-right Björn Höcke, who a court ruled last year could legally be called a fascist.

Ramelow refused to shake Höcke’s hand after the vote. “When I can clearly hear that democracy is a priority, then I am willing to give Mr Höcke my hand but only when you defend democracy and don’t trample on it,” he said in his acceptance speech, to applause from his supporters.

In Wednesday’s re-run, Ramelow had initially hoped to persuade individual CDU MPs to edge him to the absolute majority needed in the first two rounds, threatening to otherwise call fresh elections.

But he changed strategy on Wednesday morning, as conservatives railed against a potential cooperation with the far-left.

Ramelow is now expected to lead a minority government until new elections in April 2021, in a compromise agreed with the CDU at the height of the crisis two weeks ago.