Merz after AfD victory: ‘This result has shaken the CDU to its foundations’

Friedrich Merz says the Alternative for Germany’s victory in Saxony-Anhalt has shaken the Christian Democratic Union to its foundations. The AfD won 44% of the vote, while the CDU’s support fell by half compared with the state’s previous election five years ago.

“

This result has shaken the CDU to its foundations, and we cannot simply carry on as if nothing happened. This also applies to the federal government.

Speaking at a closed meeting of the CDU leadership, Germany’s chancellor and party chairman described the result as a “tectonic shock” to the country’s party system. He said Germany had a strong constitution and strong instruments to defend it against a far-right government, but argued that the scale of the result could not be ignored.

“We cannot simply carry on as if nothing happened. This also applies to the federal government,” Merz said, as quoted by media. He acknowledged that the CDU had failed to establish an emotional connection with voters in the eastern German state.

“

It is a party that wants to destroy the CDU, and therefore any form of cooperation with it is impossible.

Merz also pointed to the AfD’s ability to mobilize many people who had not previously voted, calling that a painful fact. At the same time, he ruled out any form of cooperation with the party. “It is a party that wants to destroy the CDU, and therefore any form of cooperation with it is impossible,” he said.

“

We did not establish an emotional connection with voters there.