Banking on their success in recent state elections, the leaders of Germany's right-wing extremist parties have said that their groups will form a coalition during the 2006 national election. Udo Voigt, the leader of Germany's neo-Nazi "National Democratic Party" (NPD) told a German news magazine that his group would run on a common platform with the "German People's Union" (DVU) led by the Munich publisher Gerhard Frey. The two parties managed to win seats in the eastern German states of Brandenburg and Saxony in regional elections last month, partly because they had agreed not to run against each other: that success has now convinced party leaders to push for permanent cooperation on all political levels.
Voigt also confirmed reports that his party was planning to include known neo-Nazis and skinhead leaders in its leadership. He said two men, Thomas Wulff and Thorsten Heise, were expected to help attract young people to the party. "It is a signal for many young people that they should not just have fun on the streets, but should participate in the political process," he said.
