Essay: The firewall has failed – three better ideas for dealing with the AfD
Before the state election it is clear: The firewall in its current form has failed. The political center should nevertheless do everything to keep the AfD away from the government. Three ideas.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has drawn a clear line between himself and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the run-up to the Saxony-Anhalt state election. Merz stated that Saxony-Anhalt must not become a testing ground for right-wing populist sentiment. The AfD is expected to become the strongest parliamentary force in the state, potentially even securing a government majority without needing coalition partners.
Experts warn that the current strategy of excluding the AfD from power has failed, with the party now polling around 30% nationwide, and that a new approach may be needed to address the underlying issues driving its rise.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
