Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) strongly opposes discussions regarding a potential pre-emptive end to the black-red coalition and argues against any effort to drop the so-called “Brandmauer” or firewall, concerning the AfD. Writing a contribution for the current edition of “Die Zeit”, Scholz stated that any debates about a minority government originating from the CDU and CSU should end immediately, calling the demand for such a government “historically forgettable”.
He structured his argument around historical lessons. For instance, he pointed out that in 2005, both the SPD and The Greens should not have attempted to form a government with the Left Party, even though a mathematical majority for such a deal had existed. Scholz noted, “This is because it would have been impossible with this party on issues of foreign and defense policy, as well as on internal security”. A similar pattern emerged in 2013, after the failure of the black-green coalition and the initial exit of the FDP from the Bundestag; in that case, he insisted that an attempt to form a government without the Union was unnecessary.
Applying this principle today, Scholz argues, that the same assessment must be made regarding the AfD. He maintains that it would also be impossible to “establish a state” with this party-not only when dealing with foreign and defense policy and internal security, but crucially because the AfD is anti-pluralist and must therefore be kept at a distance from political power.
Scholz further critiqued the party’s tendency to continually speak on behalf of “the people”. He explained that while one understands that the AfD does not mean to represent the entire populace, this rhetoric is typical of such parties throughout history and across the globe. According to him, this language allows them to “identify enemies both internally and externally” and consequently delegitimize democratic institutions.
Because of these systemic concerns, Scholz reiterated that the firewall is “more than warranted”. Furthermore, he observed that any coalition formed around a far-right party would not easily stabilize into a functional governing coalition.