{
  "id": 5733355,
  "title": "Essay: Die Brandmauer ist gescheitert – drei bessere Ideen für den Umgang mit der AfD",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/essay-die-brandmauer-ist-gescheitert-drei-bessere-ideen-fur-den",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-05T05:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/wahl-in-sachsen-anhalt-die-brandmauer-nutzt-nur-der-afd-so-gehts-besser/100242466.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Following the recent state election campaign in Saxony-Anhalt, where the local members of the ruling coalition cleverly avoided being exposed by their own side, Friedrich Merz, the opposition leader, managed to intervene in a remarkably efficient manner. Both of his public appearances took place behind closed doors, with the chancellor's statement echoing outside: \"Saxony-Anhalt should not become an experimental ground for angry citizens.\" Merz directed his comments towards potential AfD voters in the region, effectively alienating them. In doing so, he successfully created a hermetically sealed barrier between himself and the right-wing elements in Saxony-Anhalt, so sealed that any physical contact with individuals who might otherwise vote CDU was no longer possible. The chancellor's personal fortress is now complete, sending a clear message. However, the question remains whether this approach is wise. There is no doubt that it is a matter of political responsibility to keep away from power all those political forces that do not respect the free democratic constitutional order. The AfD, which had transformed from an anti-Euro party of a few economists into a refuge for right-wing nationalist and ethnic mobs by the end of the 2010s, can be considered exactly such a force. Therefore, the political parties of the center, and particularly the coalition, decided to build the hermetic wall. Notably, all CDU and CSU chairpersons of recent history acknowledged this stance, even Friedrich Merz, who set a numerical goal: he aimed not only to exclude the AfD from government participation but to halve them as well.",
  "summary": "Vor der Landtagswahl ist klar: Die Brandmauer in der jetzigen Form ist gescheitert. Die politische Mitte sollte dennoch alles tun, die AfD von der Regierung fernzuhalten. Drei Ideen.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}