Merz sees AfD as ‘main rival’ in elections – DW – 10/18/2025

Chancellor Merz has come under fire for a recent comment that led some to believe that migrants have disrupted the German urban landscape.

Referring to the recent decline in migration to Germany, Merz stressed that “we still have this problem in the urban landscape, and that is why the interior minister is working to carry out mass deportations.”

You can read about the uproar caused by Merz’s remarks in this article by DW’s Jens Thurau: Germany’s Merz under fire for ‘racist’ deportation remarks

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has rejected growing calls to break down the so-called firewall between his conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

“We will highlight even more clearly the differences between us and the AfD,” he said in an interview to be published Sunday in the daily. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung,

“In the public perception, this false narrative is taking hold: ‘If they break down this firewall they can move everything along with the AfD,'” Merz said in the interview.

Referring to comments by AfD co-leader Alice Weidel, who has stressed her readiness to cooperate with the CDU, Merz said: “The purpose of the ‘outstretched hand’ repeatedly called for by the AfD is actually to destroy us, as they say themselves.”

“And that is why the AfD is our main rival in the upcoming electoral battle,” he said.

Merz criticizes former chancellors Merkel and Scholz

Merz also said that the decision by former CDU Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2015 to allow approximately 1 million Syrians to enter Germany to escape the civil war in their country had contributed to the AfD’s rise.

This, he said, was compounded by decisions taken by his predecessor Olaf Scholz’s centre-left coalition after 2021, which led to the AfD’s popularity rating doubling.

His comments came after some in his party and politicians in several East German states called for the ban on cooperation with the far-right party to be lifted given its strength in some legislatures, including at the federal level.

The AfD is the strongest opposition force in the Bundestag, or German parliament.

good day From the DW newsroom in Bonn!

Join us as the mainstream parties in Germany continue to debate how to deal with the rise in popularity of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which many see as a threat to democracy.

Chancellor Merz has said in an interview that his Christian Democrats (CDU) will continue despite calls to ease the ban on any form of cooperation with the far-right party.

And flag carrier Lufthansa has said high airport charges in Germany are making some domestic flights uneconomic, leading it to consider canceling several routes.

Read here to find out what people are talking about in Germany on Saturday, October 18.