There will be no cooperation with the AfD

In a survey, the AfD draws level with the Social Democrats. The CDU/CSU justifies this with the weakness of the traffic light government – and at the same time distances itself from the party on the far right.

Berlin – CDU leader Friedrich Merz has once again clearly rejected cooperation with the AfD. “As long as I am party leader of the CDU, there will be no cooperation with this party,” Merz said last night on ZDF’s “heute journal” given the relatively high polls for the AfD recently.

Merz said of the AfD: “This party is xenophobic. This party is anti-Semitic. We have nothing to do with these people and there will be no cooperation here – under the hand, over the hand, on the table, under the table with me and not with us.”

Suspected right-wing extremist

In the ARD “Germany trend” the AfD had recently caught up with the SPD with 18 percent. The Insa survey for the “Bild am Sonntag” sees the party, which the constitutional protection classifies as a suspected right-wing extremist, at 19 percent, on a par with the SPD. The Union is in the Insa survey at 27 percent.

Merz reiterated that the reason for the strength of the AfD is mainly the weakness of the traffic light government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “If we had a technically and politically well-working government, then the AfD would not be 18 percent.” Merz specifically mentioned the Greens in the government. “People in Germany are just tired of this kind of paternalism. And now they’re venting it.”

“We don’t use AfD language”

Merz rejected the accusation that the Union used the AfD’s choice of words when criticizing the government. “We don’t use AfD-speak.” He was not ready to accept that the Union would immediately be brought close to the AfD with any criticism of the government. Sometimes it is also exaggerated in the ranks of the Union. However, the Union is clear and precise on the matter, remains able to talk the next day and is ready to make compromises with the government.

In the migration debate, Merz supported a proposal by Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) to set up a federal, state and local commission for a new asylum policy. He is happy to adopt this proposal, said Merz. “But if the Greens, for example, constantly and obtrusively claim that we have no problem at all, and are not even willing to talk about reducing immigration at federal level, let alone make decisions, then the problem gets bigger and bigger The AfD is getting bigger.” dpa