Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) has once again entered the election campaign, reiterating her criticism of the CDU’s chancellor candidate, Friedrich Merz. At the same time, she called on the parties to return to a dialogue.
Speaking at an event hosted by the weekly newspaper Die Zeit in Hamburg, Merkel stressed the need for compromises after the election, given the expected majority situation. “I hope it will be possible” she said.
Merkel remained firm in her stance on the far-right AfD, stating that a polarization has taken hold among democratic parties. With no clear majorities expected, she believes that after the election, compromises must be explored. “That means we will have to talk to each other again among the democratic parties” she said.
Merz had submitted a motion and a bill in the Bundestag to regulate migration, which required the votes of the AfD to pass. Merz was criticized for allegedly dismantling the so-called “Brandmauer” a commitment by political parties to a cooperation ban with the AfD. Merkel described this move by Merz as “false.”
Merkel’s relationship with the AfD has been deemed unconstitutional by the German Federal Constitutional Court in 2022. Following the 2020 Thuringian state election, the FDP’s Thomas Kemmerich was elected as the state premier with the support of the CDU, AfD and FDP in the third round of voting, after the initial and second rounds failed to produce a winner. At the time, Merkel said the election must be reversed. The AfD later filed a complaint against Merkel and the court ruled that she had violated the AfD’s right to equal opportunities, finding in the AfD’s favor.