Friedrich Merz announces tougher stance on AfD
CDU/CSU parliamentary leader Friedrich Merz has announced a tougher approach toward the AfD. This comes amid the far-right party's growing successes in state elections. Merz stressed that cooperation with the AfD is off the table.
Friedrich Merz, parliamentary leader of the CDU/CSU in the Bundestag, announced a tougher approach toward the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS). The statement came over the weekend following state elections in Hesse and Bavaria, where the AfD made significant gains, becoming the second strongest party in Hesse with 25.7 percent.
Merz stated: 'We will not allow the AfD to dictate our policies.' He sharply criticized the AfD as an 'extremist party' and called for clear demarcation. The CDU aims to politically isolate the AfD to prevent its influence, including closer cooperation with other democratic parties to secure majorities without AfD support.
In the current context, Merz emphasized the need to protect democracy. Parts of the AfD are classified as confirmed right-wing extremist by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Merz's stance marks a shift: Previously, the CDU had sometimes been more tolerant toward AfD proposals in some states, such as in election analyses. This is now to end.
The AfD responded quickly. Party leader Alice Weidel called Merz's words 'fear-mongering propaganda' and accused the CDU of ignoring reality. Other parties like the SPD and Greens welcomed the announcement and called for a broad anti-AfD front. Experts see Merz's strategy as an attempt to secure gains for the Union without yielding to right-wing populist voters.
This development could impact the 2025 federal election, where polls show the AfD at 18 percent. Merz's course aims to position the Union as a bulwark against extremism.