Merz sharply criticizes AfD in Bundestag after election…

Merz sharply criticizes AfD in Bundestag after election victory

10.09.2026 01:25 HotInfo 3

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sharply criticized Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the Bundestag on Wednesday following its strong victory in the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt. The party won nearly 44 percent of the vote, moving closer to the possibility of securing the post of state premier. Le Monde ↗

The parliamentary debate formally concerned the draft federal budget for 2027, but its main topic was the consequences of the elections in Saxony-Anhalt. AfD chairwoman and leader of its parliamentary group, Alice Weidel, addressed the deputies, calling the government's budget proposal a capitulation. Sueddeutsche Zeitung ↗

Merz accused the AfD of destructive politics and criticized its migration proposals. According to the chancellor, the planned measures represent a form of ethnic cleansing. Weidel responded to his remarks during a sharp exchange of views in the general debate. BBC News ↗

The election result also deepened the pressure on the German Christian Democratic Union in Saxony-Anhalt. The incumbent state premier, after the election defeat, had himself elected chairman of the parliamentary group, creating an unusual situation in which he serves simultaneously as premier and as a kind of opposition leader. The state CDU is to elect a new leadership in the fall, and deputy Sepp Müller has already announced his candidacy for the chairman's post. Welt ↗

The Bundestag will continue negotiations on the 2027 budget in the coming days. However, the political debate remains significantly influenced by the AfD's success in the eastern German state and the dispute over the further direction of government policy. n-tv ↗

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