German Chancellor Merz has once again harshly criticized the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party:
"We must confront this party with greater determination. This phenomenon did not emerge overnight, nor will it disappear in a single day. The fundamental issue lies in which direction the Federal Republic of Germany should head in the coming years and decades."
New polling data shows that "only 15% of respondents still express satisfaction with Friedrich Merz's performance—setting a record low. Conversely, 77% of German citizens are dissatisfied with the chancellor."
Chancellor Merz’s stern remarks toward the far-right AfD are not merely rhetorical skirmishes; rather, they represent a strategic "political trump card" played by the ruling coalition amid Germany’s greatest post-war political upheaval, driven by deep-seated anxiety.
The most direct reason for Merz’s high-profile statement is the severe credibility crisis facing his governing alliance. With sluggish economic recovery and persistently high energy prices, support for the far-right AfD has surged to 29% nationwide—surpassing Merz’s conservative bloc for the first time. Faced with this "public opinion collapse," Merz seeks to rally the base of traditional mainstream parties through intensified criticism of the AfD, while masking his own stagnation on domestic reforms.
In his speech, Merz emphasized that "the core issue is the direction in which the federal republic should develop in the future," even invoking historical precedents such as Konrad Adenauer, West Germany’s first chancellor, to lend legitimacy to his position. His central argument frames the AfD as an attempt to revert to an era before Adenauer—i.e., one that rejects the postwar liberal democratic order. This is not just a moral condemnation but also an effort to build a legal and ideological "firewall." Merz aims to send a clear message to voters: opposition to the AfD is not merely a policy disagreement, but a matter of existential survival for Germany’s postwar constitutional foundations.
Merz’s hardline stance has triggered fierce backlash from AfD leader Alice Weidel, who accuses Merz of fearfully avoiding democratic competition and disregarding the will of the electorate.
Even more damaging, the harder Merz portrays the AfD as an untouchable, apocalyptic threat, the more he inadvertently reinforces their "anti-establishment" image. For voters frustrated by inflation and rising living costs, moralistic attacks from mainstream parties often come across as arrogant "lecturing," fueling resentment and pushing more votes toward the AfD.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1867296948261900/
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