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Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticizes his own party leader to submit a proposal in parliament with the support of the far -right alternative to Germany (AFD).
In a statement, Merkel accused CDU leader Friedrich Mertz of turning his back on a previous bet not to work with AFD in the Bundestag.
Parliament descended to Heckles on Wednesday Since the votes from the far right meant that a continuous proposal for CDU under stricter immigration rules was not bonded.
This is an extremely unusual intervention of the woman who has runs Germany for 16 years, intervening to criticize the actions of her former political rival.
Mertz, who was set up for the next German Chancellor because of the CDU leadership in the urns, said on Wednesday that politics was not wrong just because “sinful people support it” and that he did not seek or wanted AFD support.
But Merkel accused him of breaching a bet he had made in November to work with the Social Democratic Party and Greens to adopt legislation, not AFD.
This was to ensure that “neither in the determination of the agenda nor when voting on the issue here in the House would be no accident or actually led to a majority with those of AFD”, “” Read a quote from Merz in Merkel’s statement.
The former chancellor said he fully supports this “expression of great state political responsibility”.
“I think it is wrong not to feel tied to this proposal and thus deliberately allow AFD to win a majority when voting in the German Bundestag on January 29, 2025 for the first time.”
She said that “all democratic parties” must work together to do everything they can to prevent such terrible attacks in the future as those that took place shortly before Christmas in Magdeburg and a few days ago in Ascafenburg. “
This is a rare Merkel intervention.
To openly criticize the candidate of his own party for Chancellor – just weeks of elections – is a big move and will add rocket fuel to an explosive history in German politics.
Merkel and Mertz come back a long way – not as the best friends.
He was known as a Merkel side in the early 2000s after she won the CDU’s power struggle.
Mertz will continue to leave first -line policy for many years before returning.
Since then, he has criticized Merkel’s legacy – in particular its migration crisis.
They also have many different visions for the party, with Merkel being regarded as a more pragmatic centrist and mertz from the more traditional, conservative wing of the CDU.
Voting on Wednesday has violated the long -standing taboo in German politics – and Merz must also propose legislation on Friday, which AFD can support.
The current German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called this move an “unforgivable mistake”.
“Since the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany, more than 75 years ago, there has always been a clear consensus among all the democrats in our parliaments: we do not make a common cause with the far right,” he said.
