Germany: Opposition leader Merz rules out AfD cooperation

Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany's center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said there was no way his party would work with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) after the populist, anti-immigrant party posted large victories in state elections last weekend.

Merz made the assertion in an interview with DW's chief political editor, Michaela Küfner.

"The CDU would be selling its soul if it were to cooperate with a right-wing extremist party in Germany," said Merz.

There has been much speculation as to whether any of Germany's mainstream parties would be willing to ally with the AfD after it posted a victory in Thuringia and huge returns in Saxony over the weekend.

The CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), are among those closest to the AfD on the political spectrum, with the two drifting farther right in an apparent effort to draw votes from the far-right party.

Merz: Scholz has to make a decision on immigration and border security

Beyond insisting the firewall between the CDU and AfD will remain, Merz listed irregular immigration, repatriation and border control among the most serious issues facing the country right now.

"We've been in intense dialog with the Chancellor for a good week now, discussing how we can respond effectively to irregular migration in Germany," said Merz. "We will have to talk about the issue of repatriation, but above all about limiting immigration."

Merz insisted, "something must be done at the German borders, and our proposal is to actually turn people away at the borders now and not to delay any longer. We've known since 2015 that it is legally possible, and now in 2024, we have to finally decide to do it."

Bemoaning federal inaction, Merz told DW, "The Chancellor must now make a decision himself. The constitution gives him the authority to issue directives, and he has to claim that authority, to tell his government, 'We're doing this.'"

Merz laments Germany's anemic economy

Lastly, after declaring that "migration is the main issue," Merz touched on the importance of the German economy in voters' minds, pointing out its weakness and calling for a turnaround.

"We've lost 300,000 jobs in industry in the last three years and that has to be stopped," said Merz, whose party led the country for 16 years under Angela Merkel before Olaf Scholz took office in 2021, "Germany has to get away from the structural weakness in the growth of its own industry."

Unemployment data from the German Federal Statistical Office shows 2.52 million unemployed people in Germany in August 2021 and 2.8 million unemployed in August 2024. The Statistical Office also reported 44.88 million employed people in Germany in July 2023 and 45.96 million employed people in July 2024, the most recent month calculated.

Edited by Jenipher Camino Gonzalez

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