German Minister-President Alexander Schweitzer, a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), has sharply criticized the Union’s chancellor candidate, Friedrich Merz, for his proposal to toughen up the country’s migration policy.
In an interview with the “Mannheimer Morgen”, Schweitzer stated, “Who, after the shocking incident in Aschaffenburg, says ‘I’m all in’ in a poker-like manner, does not set the right tone.” He went on to say that those who claim they are not willing to compromise on their proposals have not understood how a democratic state functions. “In a democracy, everything must be negotiable. Not striving for compromises is the end of democratic politics” the SPD politician emphasized.
Schweitzer also accused Merz of handing over to the right-wing extremist Alternative for Germany (AfD) with his initiative in the German Bundestag. “Friedrich Merz lacks a coordinate system” he said. In response to the demands for strict controls at Germany’s external borders, Schweitzer stated, “Border controls are an instrument that can be used and are already being used. However, believing that one can simply close a 4,000-kilometer external border is absurd. The costs for the CDU’s proposals would be paid by the German economy and workers.