After facing heavy criticism from left-wing parties and the media, CDU leader Friedrich Merz has vowed his party will no longer work with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the Bundestag. He insists the recent joint vote was an isolated case, not a shift in policy.
Speaking to RTL, Merz pushed back against accusations that the CDU had broken the so-called “firewall” against the AfD. “I do not benefit from votes with the AfD. A situation like this will not occur again,” he stated, caving to pressure from Germany’s political establishment.
The backlash erupted after the CDU received AfD support on a resolution related to immigration and asylum reform. The SPD, Greens, and Left Party were quick to accuse Merz of legitimizing the AfD, branding the move as pandering to the “far-right.” Merz, however, blamed the Bundestag’s lack of a governing majority, stressing that this was a rare exception. “As soon as we have a government majority, such a situation will no longer arise,” he assured.
At a CDU party congress, Merz doubled down, declaring, “There is no cooperation, no tolerance, no minority government—nothing at all.” He reaffirmed his commitment to forming a coalition with legacy parties like the SPD and Greens after the upcoming election, even though such an alliance would likely water down the CDU’s tougher stance on migration and asylum.
Yet, the brief CDU-AfD alignment may have had unintended consequences. Instead of isolating the AfD, it gave the party newfound legitimacy, proving to voters that supporting it isn’t futile. Recent polling from the Democracy Institute places the AfD at 25%, just two points behind the CDU. The institute—one of the few to predict Trump’s 2016 victory and Brexit—also found that endorsements from figures like Elon Musk are drawing more voters to the AfD, while major donations totaling nearly €5 million have filled its campaign war chest.
Meanwhile, thousands of left-wing demonstrators flooded the streets outside CDU headquarters in Berlin, demanding an outright ban on both the CDU and AfD. With tensions running high, Merz’s political maneuvering in the coming weeks could determine the future direction of Germany’s conservative bloc.
