(de-news.net) – Amid ongoing debate over the CDU’s strategic stance toward the right-leaning AfD, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has firmly rejected any dismantling of the so-called “firewall” that separates the CDU’s ideological framework from that of the AfD. This barrier, long seen as essential to preserving democratic integrity, remains central to the CDU’s political identity. Merz underscored the need to more clearly define the party’s ideological and programmatic distinctions from the AfD.

He voiced concern over a growing public narrative suggesting that the CDU could more effectively pursue its goals by cooperating with the AfD. Merz dismissed this view, arguing that such collaboration would undermine the CDU’s core values and legitimize a party that fundamentally opposes the constitutional foundations of the Federal Republic of Germany. He noted that the AfD challenges both the legacy of Angela Merkel and the democratic principles shaped by Konrad Adenauer. The AfD’s overtures toward the CDU, Merz asserted, are strategic efforts to weaken and dismantle the party’s institutional coherence.

The Chancellor positioned the AfD as the CDU’s primary opponent in upcoming elections, framing the contest not as routine political rivalry but as a defense of democratic norms. He warned that the AfD’s growing influence poses a systemic threat to liberal democracy, requiring a firm and principled response.

Meanwhile, several lawmakers from the CDU in eastern Germany have publicly advocated for a reassessment of the party’s enduring stance against cooperation with the AfD. Traditionally, this position – commonly referred to as the Brandmauer, or firewall – has functioned as a normative barrier precluding any form of institutional collaboration with the AfD across all levels of governance. The emergence of this debate coincides with pivotal state elections scheduled for the coming year, alongside strong polling figures for the AfD in multiple federal states.