German Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus, a member of the Green party, has criticized the leader of the Union’s parliamentary group and chancellor candidate, Friedrich Merz, for allegedly shifting too far to the right in the debate over refugee policy in the Bundestag.
“This course of action by Friedrich Merz is causing millions of people in our country to be anxious”Paus told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland”. “It must be possible to find majorities within the democratic spectrum for the great challenges our country is facing.”
Paus’s criticism came in response to the Union’s recent proposal to strip German citizenship from individuals holding dual citizenship. She accused the Union of “clearly signaling a shift to the right”by accepting votes from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
“Not even the extreme right in Europe wanted to accept the AfD into a joint parliamentary group in the European Parliament”Paus continued. “The Union must not roll out the red carpet for these people, neither directly nor indirectly.