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2h ago

Merz Shifts CDU Strategy to Directly Confront AfD, Plans East German Push

Merz schedules a party retreat to define the plan, with legislative cooperation explicitly excluded.

Angela Merkel (CDU), ehemalige Bundeskanzlerin, sitzt nach der Verleihung des Verdienstorden des Bundesland Mecklenburg-Vorpommern im. Rathaus.
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Am Donnerstagabend wurde im „heute journal“ ein Interview mit der ehemaligen Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel ausgestrahlt. Darin kritisierte sie die AfD.
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Overview

  • In an MDR interview, Merz announced a much tougher, policy-based engagement with the AfD and said that ignoring the party is no longer an option.
  • He set a day-long CDU retreat in two weeks dedicated to the strategy and to explaining the consequences he argues would follow from voting for the AfD.
  • Merz reaffirmed the CDU’s ban on cooperation with the AfD in legislatures, while allowing pragmatic, nonpartisan municipal decisions on local issues.
  • He ordered a rebuild of CDU infrastructure in eastern states, reopening district offices and eliminating "white spots" where the party lacks on-the-ground presence.
  • The shift follows AfD gains in polls, including leads in some national surveys and in Saxony-Anhalt ahead of next year’s state election, and it is expected to face internal debate over normalization risks.