Merkel blasts own party amid uproar over vote with far right
Jan 31, 2025
Berlin [Germany], January 31: Former German chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday criticized her opposition centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) for passing a motion in parliament for hard-line reforms to migration policy with votes from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
The move has plunged Germany even deeper into political turmoil, just weeks before national elections. In a statement released by her office, Merkel - who led Germany between 2005 and 2021 - slammed the decision "to enable a majority with the votes of the AfD for the first time in a vote in the German Bundestag," the country's lower house of parliament.
After the breakdown of centre-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition in November, CDU leader Friedrich Merz made a commitment to avoid passing measures with the help of the AfD, Merkel recalled.
"This proposal and the attitude associated with it were an expression of great national political responsibility, which I fully support," the former chancellor said.
Migration has become the dominant theme in the German election campaign ahead of the vote on February 23 after a string of attacks attributed to suspects with migrant backgrounds.
On Wednesday, the CDU relied on support from the AfD to narrowly pass its non-binding five-point plan for a tougher migration policy through the Bundestag.
The move was extremely controversial, marking the first time the AfD have been relied upon to form a majority for a vote in the lower house.
Source: Qatar Tribune
