Warning of further strengthening
Merz sees the AfD as Germany’s moral decline
March 1, 2024, 12:59 a.m
When elections are held in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg in the fall, the AfD could be the big winner, at least that’s what the polls say. In Chemnitz, CDU leader Merz is targeting the party that the Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified as definitely right-wing extremist.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz has warned of “Germany’s decline” if the AfD continues to gain strength. The party has already become stronger than many initially believed, said Merz in Chemnitz. But the AfD is not an alternative for Germany, but rather means economic and, above all, moral decline, he explained at a regional conference on his party’s new basic program.
The state parliaments in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg will be re-elected in September. The AfD state associations in Saxony and Thuringia are classified as definitely right-wing extremist by the constitutional protection offices there and are being monitored; the AfD in Brandenburg is a suspected case. The AfD came first in recent surveys in these countries, sometimes clearly.
At the same time, Merz defended terms such as homeland, dominant culture and patriotism in the new CDU program. He also warned that Germany must remain an industrial country in order to maintain prosperity. With a view to the war in Ukraine, he warned that Germany’s freedom was threatened from outside. It is illusory that a compromise can be found with Putin’s Russia through diplomatic channels alone. “If Russia lays down its arms today, the war will be over,” said the CDU chairman. “If Ukraine lays down its arms, Ukraine will be over.”
CDU wants to reduce the number of “irregular migrants”.
An important topic in the basic program is migration policy, emphasized Saxony’s CDU state leader and Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer. He referred to the problems in 2015/2016 and spoke of a loss of control back then. “We have learned from our mistakes,” Kretschmer assured his party. To achieve this, it is essential to reduce the number of “irregular migrants”. The payment card for refugees is an important instrument.
The CDU’s current program dates back to 2007. After losing power in the 2021 federal election, the party initiated a renewal of its basic program. The 70-page draft is entitled “Live in freedom. Lead Germany safely into the future”. In it, the CDU advocates, among other things, a commitment to a German dominant culture, the relocation of asylum procedures and nuclear power as an option for electricity supply. A federal party conference is scheduled to decide on the program in May.