Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) has once again entered the election campaign, reiterating her criticism of the CDU’s chancellor candidate, Friedrich Merz. At the same time, she called on the parties to return to dialogue.
During a discussion at the Hamburg-based weekly Die Zeit, Merkel emphasized the need for compromises in the aftermath of the election, given the expected majority situation. “I hope that will be possible” she said.
Merkel remained consistent in her stance on the AfD, stating that a polarization had taken hold among democratic parties. With no clear majorities expected, she argued that compromises would need to be explored after the election. “That means we will have to talk to each other again among the democratic parties” she said.
Merz had submitted a bill and a motion to regulate migration in the Bundestag, which required the support of the AfD to pass. Merz was criticized for allegedly dismantling the “brand wall” a commitment by political parties to a cooperation ban with the AfD. Merkel described this move as “wrong.”
Merkel’s relationship with the AfD has been deemed unconstitutional by the Federal Constitutional Court, which ruled in 2022. Following the Thuringian state election in 2020, the FDP’s Thomas Kemmerich was elected as minister-president in the third round of voting, with the support of the CDU, AfD and FDP. At the time, Merkel said the election should be annulled. The AfD subsequently filed a lawsuit and won, with the court ruling that Merkel had violated the AfD’s right to equal opportunities.