The leading candidate to become Germany’s next chancellor, conservative bloc leader Friedrich Merz, has again categorically ruled out any cooperation between a government led by him and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
"I have said it very clearly and emphatically many times: There will be no cooperation from us with the AfD," Merz, who leads the bloc made up of the Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), was quoted as saying.
"We are fighting for a political majority in the broad center of our democratic spectrum," Merz said on Sunday during an inspection of the hall for the party congress taking place on Monday in Berlin.
Asked if he would accept the AfD’s votes for a majority, he replied: "No."
In the next lower house of parliament, or Bundestag, there will be new majority conditions, Merz stressed.
He claimed that the current "unclear majority" is only due to the fact that the center-left coalition has disintegrated.
"This phase will now end with the elections," he added, referring to the Bundestag elections scheduled for February 23.
The next government must make important decisions on economic policy and migration, Merz emphasized.
"I am personally for this. As is very clear and remains clear without any doubt: We will not cooperate with the AfD," he added. "We have never cooperated with them, we will not cooperate with them. And there is no need for anyone to worry that this will happen. It does not happen to us, to me."
*first published in telegrafi.com
By: N. Peter Kramer
