Friedrich Merz rules out any coalition with the AfD

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has publicly confirmed that the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) will not cooperate with the Alternative for Germany (AfD).

At a party conference in Stuttgart, he stressed that he would uphold the long-standing informal consensus among mainstream parties to exclude the AfD from coalition negotiations and from key parliamentary posts.

According to Merz, any partnership with the party would pose a risk to the country. He described the AfD as a political force against which a “tough fight” must be waged.

The rise of the AfD has raised concerns among parts of the German public, with some observers drawing historical parallels to the 1930s. At the same time, the AfD maintains that its exclusion by established parties is undemocratic.

(reuters, pir)