Overview
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz said there will be no cooperation with the AfD, arguing the party wants to destroy the CDU and pledging clear separation through effective governing.
- Following a lengthy CDU leadership meeting, secretary‑general Carsten Linnemann outlined a three‑part plan to counter the AfD by boosting the party’s presence in two eastern states, creating expert committees, and projecting a solutions‑oriented profile.
- Merz defended remarks calling for expulsions on a very large scale and invoked concerns about women’s safety, insisting he has nothing to retract.
- Green and SPD figures accused him of stigmatizing migrants and echoing far‑right narratives, while protesters assembled in Berlin and other cities over the weekend.
- The AfD remains the largest opposition force and approaches 40% support in some eastern regions, with Germany’s domestic intelligence service classifying the party as right‑wing extremist.