Monday, February 24, 2025

Germany Election: Far Right Surge Is ‘Last Warning’, Says Friedrich Merz

THE GUARDIAN: Leader of victorious conservative alliance says centrist parties must work together to provide effective leadership

The doubling of support for the far right in Germany’s federal election was “the last warning” to the country’s mainstream parties to provide effective leadership, Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany’s victorious conservative alliance, has said.

Speaking on Monday after his CDU/CSU alliance came first with 28.5% of the vote, the man who is on course to become the next German chancellor said centrist parties needed to heed the surge in support for the anti-immigration Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).

“This is really the last warning to the political parties of the democratic centre in Germany to come to joint solutions,” Merz told a press conference. » | Kate Connolly in Berlin | Monday, February 24, 2025

Merz strikes urgent tone in calling for more European independence from US: Stance of German alliance’s leader could herald closer ties with France but ‘debt brake’ poses obstacle to spending »

Germany has swung to the right. What does that mean for the country – and Europe? The Guardian’s panel responds: Friedrich Merz’s CDU/CSU may have won the German election, but all eyes are on the far-right AfD after its huge gains »