In a statement to the Rheinische Post, CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann categorically denied the accusation of collaboration with the AfD. He emphasized, “I will not spend a single second working with the AfD or its leaders. If I did, I wouldn’t be here anymore. That applies to Friedrich Merz as well.”
Linnemann then turned his attention to the SPD and its leader, Olaf Scholz, stating, “Scholz has put this country in this situation. He now needs to ask himself what he needs to do right. Our proposal is on the table. In our draft law, we first want to limit migration and explicitly include this in the text. Secondly, the federal police must be able to request arrest warrants. And thirdly, we will end family reunification for subsidiarily protected individuals. If the SPD cannot agree on these points, they either have not yet grasped the gravity of the situation or are simply tactically maneuvering.”
Linnemann also called for a “U-turn in migration policy” and an immediate stop to illegal migration. “The Chancellor gives one government declaration after another, but nothing changes. And the people do feel that” he concluded.