Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) is calling for a compromise on asylum policies before the federal election.
Kretschmer urged those who genuinely care about the country and want to defend democracy to consider measures to stop irregular migration, preferably before the election. He believes the problems are so severe that they are significantly influencing the voting behavior of the population.
The CDU leader defended the approach of the Union’s chancellor candidate, Friedrich Merz, who accepted the votes of the AfD for his migration resolution. “It was our resolution, which contains our convictions on how to tackle a pressing issue that concerns the people in our country. The AfD agreed with it” Kretschmer said.
The Saxony Prime Minister criticized the Greens for not being willing to address the topic of migration and accused the SPD of trying to discredit Merz’s approach for political gain. He did not participate in what he called a “placebo discussion” and instead emphasized the need to solve the problems that are burning issues for the people.
When asked if Germany should turn away asylum seekers at its borders, even if that goes against EU law, Kretschmer replied, “Of course, as long as the external borders of the EU are not secure and we do not show at our border that it’s now over, people will be redirected to us.”
Since the introduction of stationary border controls, the influx of asylum seekers has significantly decreased, according to Kretschmer, due to the efforts of neighboring countries and the fact that many people without valid papers or a legitimate reason for entry are not applying for asylum.