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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz engaged in a bitter parliamentary showdown with Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-leader Alice Weidel, fiercely condemning the far-right group as a destructive political movement whose flagship policies would inflict severe harm on the nation's economy and social fabric.
The heated exchanges took place on the floor of the Bundestag in the wake of a historic regional vote in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. In that election, the anti-immigration AfD captured nearly 44 percent of the vote, delivering a staggering blow to mainstream politics and reducing the vote share of Merz’s conservative party by half.
Addressing lawmakers during the tense session, Merz delivered one of his sharpest attacks against the AfD’s proposed "remigration" and deportation plans. The chancellor argued that targeting workers based on foreign origin would devastate critical domestic industries, describing such proposals as amounting to ethnic cleansing directed against skilled labour based on skin colour and heritage.
Merz highlighted the deep reliance of the domestic economy on foreign-born workers, noting that one in every six skilled tradespeople across the country has an immigrant background. He warned that if the AfD's hardline policies were ever implemented, essential daily services—ranging from hospitals and elderly care facilities to restaurants—would simply cease to operate.
Weidel, who opened the parliamentary debate in her role as leader of the primary opposition force, delivered an equally aggressive assessment of the federal government. She declared that the chancellor’s governing coalition alongside the centre-left Social Democrats had been decisively rejected by voters and was steering the nation toward financial insolvency.
The AfD leader maintained that existing migration frameworks have compromised domestic security, citing a surge in knife violence alongside persistent security incidents on trains and within transit stations. Pointing directly to the regional election returns, Weidel told Merz that his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) had been politically pulverised after securing only 17.2 percent of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt.
In response to the accusations, Merz maintained that his federal administration makes a clear and careful distinction between foreign nationals who contribute meaningfully to German economic prosperity and individuals who lack permanent legal residency. While acknowledging that the government understands certain deportations remain necessary, he rejected the blanket expulsion measures championed by the far right.
The chancellor also turned the focus toward international relations, rebuking the AfD for actively undermining core German interests. He specifically pointed to the party’s ongoing backing of Russia, arguing that such foreign policy stances jeopardise the country's broader geopolitical standing.
The parliamentary session was marked by constant unrest, with lawmakers from the AfD repeatedly shouting down the chancellor as he attempted to deliver his remarks. The heckling grew so disorderly that Bundestag President Julia Klöckner intervened, warning the assembly that disruptive members would be expelled from the chamber and pointedly reminding them that parliament is not a football pitch.
The fierce national debate reflects the deep political uncertainty surrounding the outcome in Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD finished just three seats shy of an outright governing majority. No far-right political party has successfully claimed executive power in any of Germany’s 16 federal states since the end of World War Two, making the eventual formation of a state government a critical test for the country.
Merz publicly accused the AfD of misleading the electorate regarding its governing intentions. He noted that the party's lead candidate in the state, Ulrich Siegmund, had pledged before the election only to take power if the AfD secured an absolute majority, only to pivot within hours of the polls closing to pursue external coalition partners to form a viable administration.
To reach a governing majority, the AfD has indicated a willingness to work with other political factions in the state legislature, including the left-wing populist party BSW, under the condition that they endorse Siegmund to take office as state premier.
At the same time, regional AfD figures, including Siegmund’s deputy, have suggested that Merz’s conservatives should consider dismantling the long-standing "firewall"—the conventional political boundary under which mainstream democratic parties strictly refuse to establish coalitions or cooperate with the far right.
The political tensions are further amplified by the official classification of the AfD's Saxony-Anhalt regional branch as a right-wing extremist organisation by Germany's domestic intelligence services. Despite this classification, the party campaigned heavily on an aggressive deportation and remigration offensive focused on irregular migrants.
The milestone election result has also resonated on the global stage, drawing public praise from US President Donald Trump. Commenting on the political shift, Trump stated that the populist movement in Germany had achieved a major electoral victory, directly linking the AfD's rise to what he characterised as deeply flawed immigration rules and regulations.
Reflecting on the wider consequences of the eastern vote, Merz acknowledged to lawmakers that the seismic regional result has permanently altered the German political environment. Nevertheless, the chancellor remained defiant, insisting that while the AfD had disrupted the status quo, it would remain a destructive political force that will fail to secure a governing majority at the national level.
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