politics
March 19, 2026
Cooperation with the right-wing AfD: The President is for a 'firewall', and Chancellor Merz?
Conservative Christian Democratic parties CDU/CSU refuse cooperation with the partly extremely right-wing Alternative for Germany. At the same time, there is a debate about whether this distance to the AfD can politically survive.
TL;DR
- The CDU/CSU has a policy against coalition or similar cooperation with the far-right AfD.
- A recent proposal in the European Parliament regarding migration policy, co-authored by the EPP (which includes CDU/CSU) and the ESN (which includes AfD), has sparked controversy.
- Manfred Weber (CSU), president of the EPP, defended the collaboration as necessary for a solution on migration policy, though it was noted that the AfD participated in drafting the proposal.
- While there are no comparable examples in the Bundestag, a joint vote by CDU/CSU and AfD in the Bundestag on asylum policy in January 2025 led to massive demonstrations.
- Studies show over a hundred instances of cooperation between CDU and AfD at the local level.
- A CDU Bundestag member, Saskia Ludwig, advocates for occasional cooperation and joint voting with the AfD if her party leads a minority government, rejecting a full coalition but emphasizing the need to take voters' will seriously.
- The SPD warns of further radicalization if the CDU/CSU moves closer to the AfD, citing experiences in other European countries.
- Former head of the Brandenburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Jörg Müller, argues the 'firewall' is too rigid and inflexible, suggesting dialogue is necessary but clear resistance to extremist positions is also crucial.
- German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and former head of the German Bishops' Conference, Georg Bätzing, support the 'firewall,' warning against cooperation with a party they view as dangerous to democracy and incompatible with Christian values.
- Public opinion in Germany is divided, with about a quarter of respondents supporting occasional cooperation or coalitions with the AfD, while 42% completely reject it.
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