The leader of Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD), Alice Weidel, directly confronted Chancellor Merz: "Sir, your era is over."
Alice Weidel, co-chair of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), publicly declared to German Chancellor Merz in the Bundestag, "Your era is over," marking a highly dramatic political showdown that is a direct political aftermath of recent regional election results at the federal level.
Weidel’s bold statement draws strength from the state parliament elections held on September 6 in Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt). In this election, the far-right AfD secured 43.8% of the vote, becoming the largest party—while Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) plummeted to between 17% and 18.5%. Saxony-Anhalt had long been a traditional stronghold of the CDU, cultivated over decades; Merz himself acknowledged this defeat as "the worst electoral loss in decades." It was precisely this overwhelming victory in local elections that enabled Weidel to launch a direct political challenge against Merz during the federal budget debate in the Bundestag.
Weidel’s audacity to confront the chancellor openly in parliament stems from her confidence based on an absolute electoral majority, which she uses to challenge post-war Germany’s political taboos. For years, mainstream parties have adhered to an unwritten “firewall” consensus—refusing to cooperate with the far-right AfD. Yet when the AfD wins nearly half the vote in a state, this firewall begins to crumble. Weidel seizes this moment to reframe mainstream parties’ resistance as “undemocratic” and “harmful to national well-being,” aiming to fundamentally undermine the moral legitimacy of the establishment’s refusal to engage with the far right.
Although Weidel has gained significant momentum in public discourse, Merz has not yielded. Instead, he firmly rejected resignation and warned that the AfD’s anti-immigration policies would paralyze German society. From a practical institutional standpoint, Weidel’s “power grab” faces multiple obstacles: First, German Basic Law requires a “constructive vote of no confidence” to remove a chancellor—an action that currently lacks sufficient opposition support in the Bundestag. Second, other mainstream parties in Germany continue to uphold their red line against any alliance with the AfD; the party still falls short by three seats of achieving a parliamentary majority needed for single-party governance.
Weidel’s direct confrontation with Merz—“Your era is over”—represents a full-scale offensive by far-right forces in Germany following a stage-by-stage major victory over the traditional establishment. This marks the end of decades-long political stability in Germany’s political landscape. While Merz will not be ousted immediately due to regional electoral losses, the AfD has successfully brought the issue of “political change” to the forefront. Although Germany’s political “firewall” has not yet collapsed, deep cracks are already visible—and future political turmoil and fierce contestation have only just begun.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875900321041540/
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