YESTERDAY: Will German conservative Merz douse far-right 'firewall'?

 

Politics Germany

Will German conservative Merz douse far-right 'firewall'?

31 minutes ago

Election front-runner Friedrich Merz wants stricter migration policies following a deadly stabbing in Aschaffenburg. Some in Germany are surprised at how willing he seems to be to cooperate with the far-right AfD.

https://www.dw.com/en/will-german-conservative-merz-douse-far-right-firewall/a-71403725

 

Friedrich Merz makes a statement on the knife attack in Aschaffenburg

German parties have pledged not to work directly or indirectly with AfD — a stance known as the "firewall"Image: Hannes P Albert/dpa/picture-alliance

Germany's opposition leader, Friedrich Merz from the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said Friday that he would seek to pass tougher migration measures in parliament next week.

 

Merz spoke after an Afghan man was held in connection with a deadly knife attack in the southern city of Aschaffenburg — the latest in a series of similar incidents.

 

Merz said his CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), would submit motions "regardless of who agrees to them."

 

"I don't look to the right or the left," Merz said. "When it comes to these matters, I only look straight ahead."

 

The CDU/CSU plan has raised the question if Merz would bring motions backed by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

 

German opposition leader suggests stricter border controls

 

"Until now, I had the impression that we could rely on the opposition leader's statement that he would not work with the AfD even after the election," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the Social Democrats (SPD) told the daily Stuttgarter Zeitung. "Now that the CDU wants to push through its proposals in the Bundestag with votes from the AfD, I'm really worried," he added. "The firewall to the AfD must not crumble.”

 

Merz's party bloc insisted that it is counting on other parties to support the proposals.

 

AfD chancellor candidate Alice Weidel already wrote in a post on X: "The firewall has fallen!" She added, "The CDU and CSU have accepted my offer to vote together with the AfD in the Bundestag on the fateful issue of migration."

 

Merz, the favorite to become Germany's next chancellor, has repeatedly ruled out cooperating with the AfD, which sits in second place in polls ahead of elections on February 23.

 

In June 2024, Merz said in an interview with DW that "the CDU would be selling its soul if it were to cooperate with a right-wing extremist party in Germany."

 

Germany: CDU party leader on migration, cooperation with AfD

 

Robert Habeck, Germany's vice-chancellor and economy minister, as well as the Green Party's chancellor candidate for upcoming elections, told the German news agency dpa that Merz "cannot break his word" on no cooperation with the AfD.

 

Meanwhile, Matthias Miersch, the SPD general secretary, told dpa that "a political dam is about to break."

 

A survey released on Friday showed that most Germans back the firewall. A poll by the Politbarometer study conducted by the Forschungsgruppe Wahlen (Election Research Group) organization for public broadcaster ZDF found that 65% of respondents support parties refusing to cooperate with the AfD.

 

ess/sms (dpa, AFP, Reuters, AP)