German politicians reacted with shock on Friday after opposition leader Friedrich Merz opened the door to cooperation with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on migration reform after an Afghan man was held in connection with a deadly knife attack. German mainstream parties have previously gone to great lengths to avoid passing legislation while relying on votes from the far-right party, a stance known as the "firewall." However, Merz said in Berlin that his conservative parliamentary g
He won’t, at least not this year. There are still too many people in the CDU who’d be up in arms against a coalition or any other form of formal cooperation with the AfD, and many of the CDU’s voters are in the same boat. Not necessarily a majority in either case, but a big enough minority to kill any hopes of stable government or of winning an election with the party and electorate split.
Merz knows that. He’s an asshole, not stupid.
I sure hope you’re assessment of the CDU is right, but honestly I wouldn’t bet on it. If you look at how quickly things in the US go down the drain, implementing fascism and destroying basic human rights at a speed that would have been unthinkable just a few months ago, I’d be very, very sceptical about the CDUs promises regarding their so-called “Brandmauer” (Firewall) against the extreme right.