German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has sharply criticized Union faction leader Friedrich Merz (CDU) for risking a majority for his migration policy proposals, which would only be possible with the support of the far-right AfD party.
Scholz expressed his disappointment in his government statement on Wednesday, saying, “You are taking the support of those who attack our democracy into account. Those who despise our united Europe, who have been polluting our country’s climate for years and who are destroying our social cohesion.” The Chancellor emphasized that this is a grave and irreparable mistake.
Scholz recalled that he had believed Merz’s assurances, stating, “We only knew of your U-turns and zigzag courses from other sources in foreign policy. But on an issue as crucial to our country as the question of whether one as a democrat makes common cause with extreme right-wingers, I really believed in your assurances.”
The Chancellor reminded the audience that Merz had stated in his response to the government’s statement after the November coalition breakdown that he would prevent a majority being formed with the AfD, even if it was just once. Merz had also given his word on television that the CDU would not sell its soul by cooperating with the AfD, Scholz said.
Scholz warned of a potential majority of CDU/CSU and AfD after the February 23 Bundestag election, stating, “Otherwise, we risk a black-red government in Germany. Because whoever says, ‘I don’t care who votes for my proposals,’ ultimately also says, ‘I don’t care who votes for me.'”
Scholz emphasized that there is not only a programmatic overstep between the Union and the AfD in their proposals on irregular migration, but also in their tax plans, which would primarily benefit the richest and in their views on the need to put more pressure on workers.
In the context of the recent Bundestag commemoration of the victims of National Socialism, Scholz recalled the lessons of the NS era, stating, “The right to asylum is the immediate response to the horrors. Back then, German and European Jews were turned away at foreign borders.” The Chancellor emphasized that Germany must never again allow this, especially not 80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz.