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Image source, Getty Images/Reuters Image caption: Merz and Weidel faced off for the first time since Sunday's AfD election victory.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has clashed with AfD leader Alice Weidel in parliament, calling her party a 'destructive force' with a migration policy that amounts to 'ethnic cleansing' for skilled workers. Merz was addressing the Bundestag in the aftermath of the anti-immigration party's sweeping victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, where it won almost 44% of the vote. Meanwhile, the chancellor's conservatives saw their vote halved.
Weidel responded, stating voters had shown that Merz's coalition with the centre-left was a failure and his time was up. Merz countered that the AfD had harmed German interests by supporting Russia and its 'remigration' policy would affect millions. It remains unclear if the party will form a government in Saxony-Anhalt, having fallen three seats short of an outright majority. This is the first time a far-right party has won power in any of Germany's 16 states since World War Two.
The AfD's success has been praised by US President Donald Trump, who linked the victory to 'absolutely horrible immigration rules and regulations.' The party has been labeled 'right-wing extremist' by German domestic intelligence and promises a 'deportation and remigration' offensive targeting irregular migrants. Merz argued that one in six skilled workers has a migration background, and if the AfD's policy were implemented, it would amount to 'ethnic cleansing in the skilled trades based on skin colour and origin.'
Disruption by AfD MPs escalated, with Bundestag President Julia Klöckner threatening to expel them. Weidel accused the government of driving Germany towards bankruptcy, while Merz denied the AfD had won an outright majority in Saxony-Anhalt or Germany. The AfD has opened the door to potential alliances with left-wing populist BSW, provided it supports their candidate for state premier. Merz accused the party of misleading voters about their candidate's eligibility for premiership.
The AfD's migration policies and political stance have sparked intense debate, with both parties accusing each other of undermining democratic stability and economic viability.
Source: BBC
