A row over Germany’s open borders immigration system threatens to upend the political status quo ahead of the February general election, as the leader of Angela Merkel’s former party opened the door to passing restrictions with the help of the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, sparking panic among the Berlin establishment.
Leading leftist figures of the now-defunct ‘traffic light’ coalition government have railed against the leader of the neo-liberal Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, after he called for the Bundestag parliament to usher in migration restrictions and expressed willingness to pass the measures with votes from the AfD, despite having vowed to continue the cordon sanitaire around the party when forming the next government in Berlin.
Merz has called on leftist establishment parties, including the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens, to back his proposed reforms to undercut the populist support for the AfD ahead of the February 23rd general election.
Support for the anti-mass migration AfD has steadily risen over the past year amid a string of brutal terror attacks committed by migrants in Germany, most recently, the stabbing spree in Aschaffenburg last week, which left two dead, including a two-year-old boy, allegedly at the hands of a migrant from Afghanistan.
Spurred by the Aschaffenburg attack, as well as other recent attacks in Magdeburg, Mannheim, and Solingen, Merz called for the implementation of permanent border controls and the rejection of all attempts to enter the country illegally. The CDU leader also called for a “drastic reduction” in the number of illegals living in the country through regular deportations, including to countries such as Afghanistan and Syria.
His plan advocated for those with orders to leave the country to be “immediately taken into custody” and for the establishment of migrant removal centres across the country. Additionally, the Merz plan said that serious criminals with dual nationalities should have their German citizenship revoked. Finally, the proposal argues for limits to be placed on family reunification, also known as chain migration.
Merz demanded that the Bundestag vote on the measures as soon as this week, saying on Monday: “It’s really time to make decisions now.”
Critics on the left have argued that such measures would contravene European Union rules surrounding migration. However, the CDU has claimed that the national government must step in if the EU fails. The CDU also specifically cited the rising support for “populists” as justification for the restrictions.
“The AfD uses problems, worries and fears caused by mass illegal migration to fuel xenophobia and spread conspiracy theories. She wants Germany to leave the EU and the euro and instead turn to Putin’s Eurasian Economic Union. All of this endangers Germany’s stability, security and prosperity. That’s why this party is not a partner, but our political opponent,” the former Merkel-led party said.
Yet, despite the condemnation, Merz has said that he would be willing to pass the migration restrictions with the support of the AfD and others, such as the leftist populist BSW party and the Free Democrats (FDP), if the other establishment parties refuse to back the vote. This would represent a precedent-breaking step and perhaps an indication that the establishment firewall around the AfD is beginning to crack.
“What is right in the matter will not be wrong because the wrong people agree,” Merz said while still calling on the former traffic light coalition parties to back his proposal in order to “prevent there from being majorities that none of us want”.
Merz has claimed that regardless of the vote outcome, the CDU would not join a coalition government with the AfD. But his willingness to pass migration reform with their help has sparked a steep backlash from the establishment.
Robert Habeck, the chancellor candidate for the Greens and finance minister, said that if the CDU and AfD join together to pass migration reform, it would be a “dangerous step… a step too far.”
“Cooperation means accepting a majority with approval, knowing that it comes from the AfD,” he said. “In any case, this is no longer the Union we know that claims to stand for the centre in Germany. That’s over then.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz added: “There must be no cooperation with extreme right-wing parties in Germany, at any time and nowhere.”
For her part, AfD chancellor candidate Alice Weidel accused Merz of acting like a “doormat” for the establishment and of playing “tactical games”. She said that the people of Germany “want the migration turnaround! And that can only happen with the AfD!”
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