Friedrich Merz, the Chancellor of Germany, has expressed his commitment not to collaborate with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
In an interview published on October 15 by the Financial Times, Merz stated, "We are the firewall. We do not cooperate with this party (AfD)."
The term "firewall" (Brandmauer) refers to an agreement among mainstream parties, including the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), to avoid any coalition or policy collaboration with far-right parties to prevent a repeat of the mistakes of Nazi history.
However, cracks are appearing in this firewall as the AfD's national support has surged, making it increasingly difficult to form a government or parliament without including them.
A notable example occurred during the recent vote for the chair of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament, where four votes from mainstream party members broke ranks, allowing an AfD candidate to be elected as chair. This incident prompted Merz to strongly reaffirm that there is "absolutely no common ground" with the AfD.
Across Europe, far-right parties are shaking up established politics. In France, Marine Le Pen of the National Rally (RN) is being discussed as a leading candidate for the presidency, while in Spain, the conservative People's Party (PP) and the far-right Vox party are expected to form a coalition government ahead of next month's early elections. In Italy, Giorgia Meloni has been praised for boosting confidence in right-wing governance, setting a record for the longest-serving prime minister.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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