What you need to know
Here is a roundup of the top stories hitting the headlines in Germany on August 13, 2026:
- An offer by the AfD's Björn Höcke to support the BSW's Sahra Wagenknecht threatens to undermine a current "firewall" against cooperation with the far right
- Public health authorities say heat-related deaths in Germany have hit a new high this year
- Events are to be held to mark the 65th anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall
AfD firebrand Höcke offers to back Wagenknecht as Thuringia state premier
The leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the eastern state of Thuringia, Björn Höcke, has offered to back left-wing populist Sahra Wagenknecht as state premier.
"I am extending my hand to you," Höcke said on Wednesday in a video posted on X.
He urged Wagenknecht to become state premier before a regional election in neighboring Saxony-Anhalt on September 6.
Höcke's offer comes as Thuringia's Premier Mario Voigt of the Christian Democrats (CDU) continues to face pressure after his doctorate was withdrawn over plagiarism claims.
The AfD has said it plans to launch another constructive vote of no confidence against Voigt.
Under Thuringia's constitution, a premier can only be removed if parliament simultaneously elects a successor by a majority. The AfD and BSW together hold the necessary majority, with 47 of the state parliament's 88 seats.
Wagenknecht, has indicated that her party, the anti-migrant, left-wing populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), could abstain in a decisive vote for state premier in Saxony-Anhalt, potentially helping an AfD candidate take office.
The BSW is currently part of Thuringia's governing coalition along with the conservative CDU and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD).
Höcke's AfD is the largest group in the Thuringian state parliament but does not form part of the government.
The move proposed by Höcke would call into question the current consensus among mainstream parties that there should be no cooperation with the far right, known as the "firewall."
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You join our coverage of all things Germany as far-right leader Björn Höcke makes what seems at first glance to be an unlikely offer to support a left-wing figure.
Meanwhile, another bout of hot weather is engulfing the country as public health authorities give a frightening toll of heat-related deaths this year.
And Germany is still trying to come up with ways to combat the challenges caused by the much-reduced shipping of cargo on rivers as their waters fall to historically low levels.
Read on here for more on these and other stories.