German conservatives could work with far right at local level, says leader
Germany's conservative Christian Democrats, the party of former chancellor Angela Merkel, do not rule out cooperation with the far right AfD at local level, their leaders said Sunday.
If a mayor belonging to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is elected somewhere then "it's natural that we have to look for ways to ensure that we can continue to work together in the city," Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz told the ZDF television channel.
Merz was reacting to recent electoral successes at local level for the AfD, which succeeded in getting its first mayor elected as well as taking charge of a district council.
"It goes without saying that we are obliged to accept the results of democratic elections," added Merz, who has steered the CDU towards the right since taking over as party leader in January 2022, following 16 years of Merkel's centrism.
READ ALSO: Why are the far-right AfD doing so well in German polls?
His comments reflect a shift in the position of the historically centre-right party, even as Merz confirmed the opposition party's traditional line of excluding any alliance with the far right at national or regional level for the formation of a government or the passing of laws.
His comments come at a time when the AfD has been enjoying a spectacular surge in opinion polls. It now ranks second nationally according to the polls, ahead of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party, and just behind Merz's conservatives.
However, Markus Söder, CSU Minister President of Bavaria has clearly distanced himself from the comments of CDU leader Merz and has rejected the idea of cooperating with the AfD also at the municipal level.
Die CSU lehnt jede Zusammenarbeit mit der AfD ab - egal auf welcher politischen Ebene. Denn die AfD ist demokratiefeindlich, rechtsextrem und spaltet unsere Gesellschaft. Das ist mit unseren Werten nicht vereinbar. Die AfD fordert den Austritt aus EU und Nato und schwächt damit…
— Markus Söder (@Markus_Soeder) July 24, 2023
"The CSU rejects any cooperation with the AfD - regardless of the political level," Söder wrote on Twitter on Monday. "Because the AfD is anti-democratic, extreme right-wing and divides our society. That is not compatible with our values."
In an Insa poll published on Sunday by the daily Bild, the AfD received a record 22 percent of the voting intention, twice as many as a year earlier, and only four points behind the conservatives.
The far right has profited from the dissatisfaction of a section of public opinion with the current government coalition, made up of the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Liberals, as well as from rising prices and immigration concerns.
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If a mayor belonging to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is elected somewhere then "it's natural that we have to look for ways to ensure that we can continue to work together in the city," Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz told the ZDF television channel.
Merz was reacting to recent electoral successes at local level for the AfD, which succeeded in getting its first mayor elected as well as taking charge of a district council.
"It goes without saying that we are obliged to accept the results of democratic elections," added Merz, who has steered the CDU towards the right since taking over as party leader in January 2022, following 16 years of Merkel's centrism.
READ ALSO: Why are the far-right AfD doing so well in German polls?
His comments reflect a shift in the position of the historically centre-right party, even as Merz confirmed the opposition party's traditional line of excluding any alliance with the far right at national or regional level for the formation of a government or the passing of laws.
His comments come at a time when the AfD has been enjoying a spectacular surge in opinion polls. It now ranks second nationally according to the polls, ahead of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party, and just behind Merz's conservatives.
However, Markus Söder, CSU Minister President of Bavaria has clearly distanced himself from the comments of CDU leader Merz and has rejected the idea of cooperating with the AfD also at the municipal level.
Die CSU lehnt jede Zusammenarbeit mit der AfD ab - egal auf welcher politischen Ebene. Denn die AfD ist demokratiefeindlich, rechtsextrem und spaltet unsere Gesellschaft. Das ist mit unseren Werten nicht vereinbar. Die AfD fordert den Austritt aus EU und Nato und schwächt damit…
— Markus Söder (@Markus_Soeder) July 24, 2023
"The CSU rejects any cooperation with the AfD - regardless of the political level," Söder wrote on Twitter on Monday. "Because the AfD is anti-democratic, extreme right-wing and divides our society. That is not compatible with our values."
In an Insa poll published on Sunday by the daily Bild, the AfD received a record 22 percent of the voting intention, twice as many as a year earlier, and only four points behind the conservatives.
The far right has profited from the dissatisfaction of a section of public opinion with the current government coalition, made up of the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Liberals, as well as from rising prices and immigration concerns.
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