(de-news.net) – Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and German Chancellor, has reaffirmed his party’s unequivocal refusal to cooperate with the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in the lead-up to state elections across five federal states. Following a two-day strategic retreat of the CDU presidium in Berlin, Merz publicly designated the AfD as the CDU’s principal political adversary, particularly in eastern Germany, asserting that the AfD’s political agenda was fundamentally antagonistic and aimed at dismantling the CDU’s institutional foundations. He argued that the AfD’s overtures were not merely oppositional but strategically hostile, rooted in its rejection of both contemporary policy trajectories and the foundational principles of the Federal Republic of Germany established in 1949.
Merz had emphasized, before the closing of the retreat, that the CDU’s response would be grounded in demonstrable competence in governance, thereby reinforcing its substantive and ideological distance from the AfD. He framed this approach as a collective responsibility shared among democratic parties, including the Social Democratic Party (SPD), suggesting that robust coalition leadership could diminish the perceived necessity of the AfD’s political presence. Merz had also acknowledged that past coalition constraints and the political fallout from the 2015 refugee crisis had contributed to the AfD’s electoral gains, conceding that the CDU had previously ceded ground to the political right. He attributed the AfD’s rise to broader shifts in public sentiment across Western democracies. He clarified that while incidental cross-party voting might occur in local administrative contexts—such as decisions related to childcare or infrastructure—such instances did not constitute formal collaboration or strategic alignment.
Internal deliberations within the CDU revealed divergent regional perspectives: while the federal leadership maintained a firm stance against any rapprochement, several eastern CDU officials advocated for a recalibration of strategy in light of regional political dynamics. Prominent figures from both the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), reiterated their opposition to any form of cooperation with the AfD. CDU Vice Chairman Karl-Josef Laumann went further, labeling the AfD a “Nazi party.” Senior CDU figures—including Deputy Federal Chairman Andreas Jung, former General Secretary Peter Tauber, Workers’ Group Chairman Dennis Radtke, and foreign policy spokesman Roderich Kiesewetter, warned that any relaxation of the party’s stance would compromise its institutional integrity and ideological consistency, despite internal calls for tactical flexibility.
Regional voices such as Jan Redmann, chairman of the Brandenburg CDU, advocated for pragmatic legislative engagement irrespective of AfD support. The notion of shared civic values with the AfD was firmly rejected by Deputy CDU Chairwoman Karin Prien and Schleswig-Holstein Minister-President Daniel Günther. Prien described the AfD as increasingly extremist, while Günther argued that the party propagated divisive narratives and posed a threat to democratic institutions. Prien further distinguished between disillusioned AfD voters and the party’s leadership, asserting that democratic parties bore a responsibility to re-engage alienated citizens.
The CSU leadership reiterated its commitment to a strict non-cooperation policy, advocating for political contestation through effective governance. CSU General Secretary Martin Huber warned of the AfD’s ideological proximity to the Kremlin and its opposition to key pillars of European integration, including NATO, the European Union, and the euro. Huber cited precedents from other European contexts where collaboration with far-right entities had precipitated the decline of Christian democratic movements.
