The conservative leader and main candidate for Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, has firmly reiterated that there will be no cooperation between a government led by him and the far-right party, Alternative for Germany (AfD).
“I have said clearly and decisively many times: there will be no cooperation from us with AfD,” Merz declared, who leads the conservative bloc composed of the Christian Democrats (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).
Speaking on Sunday during an inspection at the venue where the party congress will be held in Berlin, he emphasized that the conservatives will fight for a majority in “the broad center of the democratic spectrum.”
When asked if he would accept AfD votes to secure a majority, his answer was firm: “No.”
Merz stressed that the next Bundestag will have new majority conditions and that the “current unclear situation” is the result of the collapse of the left-center coalition. “This phase will end with the elections,” he said, referring to the upcoming Bundestag elections scheduled for February 23.
He further emphasized that the next government will need to make key decisions in economic and migration policy, reaffirming his position against any cooperation with AfD.
“We have never cooperated with them, and we will not. No one should have any doubt about this. It will not happen with us, it will not happen with me,” Merz concluded.
