The SPD has intensified its criticism of Union’s chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz. He is “politically no longer in control”, said Katja Mast, the First Parliamentary Manager of the SPD’s Bundestag faction, to the “Spiegel”.
“It looks as if the dams of the Merz Union are about to break in the direction of the AfD and that is politically fatal”, Mast said. She expects “those with integrity in the CDU not to follow this course”.
Merz had announced after the Aschaffenburg stabbing attack that he would submit motions on migration policy to the Bundestag, regardless of who might agree with him. The SPD and the Greens are now questioning Merz’s reliability in upholding the barrier to the AfD.
Mast referred to the fact that the SPD also wants to reduce irregular migration. “But that must be achieved from the democratic center, with corresponding majorities. This fundamental parliamentary consensus is irrelevant to Merz.”The proposals by Merz are “show solutions”, criticized the Social Democrat. The answers to the problems in asylum policy must be found on the European level. However, the Union is turning its back on Europe.