The rhetoric surrounding potential alliances in German politics is escalating, with leading figures from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) predicting a shift in posture from the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU. AfD co-leader Alice Weidel has publicly indicated a belief that CDU’s future collaborations will necessitate cooperation with her party, characterizing the current CDU as a “potentially viable partner” following the brief leadership of Friedrich Merz.
Weidel argues the CDU is currently trapped in a political impasse, a “dead end” fueled by its rigid exclusion of the AfD. This stance, she contends, forces the CDU to rely on a coalition bound solely by a shared opposition to the AfD, aligning them with the Green Party, Social Democrats and the Left. She asserts that this dependence is unsustainable and that it’s only a matter of time before the CDU recognizes the necessity of a revised approach.
The prospect of a CDU realignment isn’t unanimous within the AfD. Leif-Erik Holm, the designated AfD lead candidate for the upcoming Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election, echoed Weidel’s prediction, dismissing the long-standing “firewall” policy of the CDU as mere “folklore”. However, Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD’s top candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, expressed caution, suggesting a CDU-AfD coalition in the near term remains unlikely. He points to the continuing adherence of Saxony-Anhalt’s Minister President, Reiner Haseloff, to the “firewall” construct and indicates a preference from CDU’s designated candidate, Sven Schulze, to form a government with the Left party rather than acknowledge elected majorities.
Siegmund’s assessment introduces a critical caveat: he warns that clinging to this approach risks fracturing the CDU itself, initially in Saxony-Anhalt and subsequently at a national level. This paints a picture of a party facing internal pressures and navigating a complex political landscape where the rigid refusal of collaboration may prove self-destructive, potentially reshaping the established power dynamics within German politics. The coming months, leading up to the state elections in both Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Saxony-Anhalt, will be pivotal in determining whether these predictions materialize and whether the CDU can resist the pressure to reassess its relationship with the rising force of the AfD.