German Bundestag Debate: Merz lashes out at AfD, Merkel calls election results shocking

The German Bundestag held a general debate on Wednesday (September 9). The Alternative for Germany (AfD) received nearly 44% of the vote in Sunday's Saxony-Anhalt state election. In his speech, Prime Minister Merz warned the AfD not to assume that it could gain wider support.

"Ms. Weidel, you do not have an absolute majority, and you will not get an absolute majority in Germany," he said to AfD party chair Alice Weidel, who had spoken before. "You are and you remain a destructive force."

But Merz had to admit that the Alternative for Germany "achieved shocking electoral results in all aspects" in Saxony-Anhalt. "The voters spoke very clearly. They sent a clear message to us and to me personally," he said, stressing that the AfD had failed to achieve its stated goal of obtaining an absolute majority in the state parliament.

Mertz accused the AfD party of "contempt for our democratic system" and said that there were "deep differences" between the party and other parties on foreign, European, social and peace policies.

Mertz criticized the AfD for taking a friendly stance toward Russia and using it to harm Germany's interests: "The only factor that threatens Russia and Putin is the attractiveness of democracy," he said. "But you're still on Russia's side."

"You are one of the problems we face in Germany and we will fight these problems with all our strength."

AfD Party Chairman Weidel spoke before Prime Minister Merz. She said that the coalition government led by Merz had failed.

Former Chancellor Merkel: My heart is bleeding

The day before, former German Chancellor Merkel made a rare public appearance at the "Digital X" conference organized by Deutsche Telekom in Cologne.

When reporters asked on Tuesday about the AfD's significant lead over other parties in the Saxony-Anhalt state elections, Merkel described the results as "shocking."

"As a CDU member, my heart bleeds. "This is a rupture, a real rupture, that we are experiencing in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany."

Merkel, who served as German chancellor from 2005 to 2021, advised politicians to re-evaluate their communication strategies with voters, noting the need for "face-to-face communication with citizens" through various channels, which she said was becoming increasingly important.

She is also worried that voters seem to pay less and less attention to facts and more to their own subjective feelings. In her opinion, the unemployment rate in Saxony-Anhalt has dropped and personal living standards have improved. These are objective facts. But the AfD informed, "That may be the case, but it doesn't feel that way."

Merkel said, “The main advance of the Enlightenment was that the majority of people were able to agree on facts,” she said. “If feelings prevail over facts, that’s a step backwards for civilization.”