By Janet Ekstract, NEW YORK – Though German’s opposition conservative party the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) led by Friedrich Merz, won Sunday’s elections with 28.6% of the vote, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) became Germany’s second largest party with 20.8% of the vote, which is unprecedented in German elections. Press reports indicate that Friedrich Merz, known as an old-school conservative, is likely to be Germany’s new chancellor. The next step will be negotiations to form a coalition quickly and as Merz said in a televised roundtable on Sunday, “My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve independence from the USA.” Merz’s comments were a response to U.S. President Trump’s remarks about Europe and his leaning toward Russia on upcoming negotiations to bring the Ukraine-Russia war to an end. Merz added, “The interventions from Washington were no less dramatic and drastic and ultimately outrageous than the interventions we have seen from Moscow.” Merz further stated: “I would never have believed that I would have to say something like that on television. But at the very least, after Donald Trump’s statements last week, it is clear that the Americans – at least this part of the Americans in this administration – are largely indifferent to the fate of Europe.”
Meanwhile, Germany’s economy has floundered in the last several years, especially in the automotive sector which has led to increased concern over the economy and immigration. While the AfD is now a political force to be reckoned with, under German law, it could be excluded from government by other parties in what is known as a “firewall” arrangement. This is a strategic approach as well as a political demand in civil society and within political circles. It focuses on the dynamics between mainstream political parties and far-right entities like the AfD and Die Heimat (previously NPD). A day after Sunday’s elections, German business leaders called for a new government to be formed quickly since German firms are seeing high costs, red tape and increasing competition from other countries. The euro and German stocks saw positive gains since investors are in favor of a conservative-led coalition, according to media reports. Since both parties have one third of the seats in the new parliament, AfD now has veto power on legislation for the first time in Germany. A conundrum for its Western allies is the fact that AfD and the Left are opposed to military aid for Ukraine and now that both parties have serious clout in the Bundestag lower house, fears are they could veto any proposed defense contributions. The Trump administration has reiterated its looking to Europe to spend a lot more on its own defense rather than relying on aid from the U.S.
