The News
The political fallout in Germany from the conservative Christian Democratic Union’s collaboration with the far-right Alternative for Germany to pass a migration resolution widened Thursday as the country nears a Feb. 23 general election.
The measure — while non-binding — was nonetheless striking: It marked the first time since World War II that a mainstream German party used votes from a far-right group to secure a majority in the Bundestag.
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel criticized her own party’s actions, while populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán cheered the vote. The center right, meanwhile, has tried to limit electoral damage.
SIGNALS
Measure set to upend election
The measure’s passage is set to shake up Germany’s Feb. 23 election, called after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left government collapsed late last year. Working with the far-right has long been taboo for mainstream parties, which tend to agree on the need for a “firewall” to block the AfD from power. Conservative leader Friedrich Merz, who is on track to become the next chancellor, faced immediate criticism from other parties and said he regretted having to work with the AfD. The move could jeopardize future coalition negotiations after the election, with other parties potentially less willing to form a government with his party, Berlin-based outlet Tabie Briefings wrote: “What happened in the Bundestag on Wednesday will have long-lasting effects.”
Merkel stabs her party’s new leader in the back
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s criticism that Friedrich Merz made the “wrong” move was a “unique act of disloyalty” from the longtime CDU leader, the editor-in-chief of Bild wrote, adding that it was essentially the equivalent of a public stab in the back. Merkel’s legacy has taken a hit in recent years, and her memoir released last year was widely panned. Her criticism is unlikely to stop the CDU’s shift to the right on immigration, Politico wrote, “but it may well fuel an internal debate on the conservatives’ role in weakening the firewall around the far right.”
Scandal reflects continent-wide immigration debate
From Italy to Austria to Poland, Europe has seen a rightward shift on immigration, and several high-profile attacks in Germany in recent months has thrust the migration debate into the spotlight. The AfD has made immigration its central issue, while Merz has also taken a tougher stance ahead of the election in a bid to keep conservative voters from defecting to the far right. If Merz wins and pursues a hardline policy, “Germany wouldn’t be going it alone,” a Bloomberg columnist noted, as even European countries without right-wing governments have beefed up immigration laws and enforcement. The continent’s hard-right appears to be welcoming the shift: “Good morning, Germany. Welcome to the club!” Hungary’s Viktor Orbán said Thursday following the Bundenstag vote.