AfD triumph in Saxony-Anhalt: Weidel opens Bundestag debate, Merz remains in office

Three days after the AfD's resounding victory over the ruling CDU in Saxony-Anhalt, the leaders of the two parties meet in a speech duel in the Bundestag. The AfD party and parliamentary group leader Alice Weidel opens the general debate in the budget week on Wednesday (9 a.m.) as opposition leader, followed by Federal Chancellor and CDU leader Friedrich Merz. A few hours earlier, the AfD received congratulations from US President Donald Trump, who sees the party and its supporters “on the rise”.

The debate between the two party leaders in the Bundestag is likely to be dominated by the AfD's triumph in Saxony-Anhalt. It more than doubled its 2021 result in Sunday's election and became the strongest party with 43.8 percent of the vote. With the help of the BSW, she could now form a government. The CDU, on the other hand, fell by almost 20 percentage points to 17.2 percent.

A total of four hours are scheduled for the general debate in the Bundestag. The chairmen of all parliamentary groups are expected to speak before the Bundestag then debates the budgets for foreign affairs, defense and development.

“Giving up is not an option for me”

The CDU holds the Chancellor partly responsible for the election debacle in Saxony-Anhalt. He admitted mistakes on Monday, but ruled out resigning from office: "Giving up is not an option for me," he said.

Merz made it clear that he wanted to stick to his planned reforms, but also announced talks with the SPD about possible changes. He also acknowledged deficits in communicating the reform plans. “The fact that we not only have to justify them rationally, but also convey them emotionally is a shared task.” You have to reach “people in all their emotionality” more.

Shortly before the election, Merz had called for a fundamental debate in the CDU about a new narrative for Germany. A new narrative must be found beyond substantive politics, a “headline for what we do together,” he said. «What actually defines us? What is actually the goal beyond pragmatic day-to-day politics? Where do we want to go?" The Chancellor suggested “Prosperity for All Generations” as the title for this story, a kind of new intergenerational contract.

Weidel wants 40 plus X - and Trump congratulates

On Monday, Weidel described Merz as a “great burden on successful development in Germany” and announced a result of at least 40 percent as the AfD target for the next federal election. “The CDU/CSU will never be able to win another federal election again. “That’s a fact,” she claimed. The gap to the AfD is already 10 percentage points. “And my stated goal is to significantly expand the gap in the shortest possible time and grow it to at least 40 percent for the next federal election.”

The party also seems to be able to count on the support of US President Trump. “Wow, the populist party in Germany had a really big night,” commented the US President on the election results in Saxony-Anhalt on his Truth Social platform. Trump did not mention the AfD by name, but the relevance of his message was clear. The AfD and its supporters are fed up with the “absolutely terrible immigration rules,” he said. “THEY ARE ON THE UPWIND, and they won’t take it anymore.”

Trump concluded his contribution with "MGGA!!!", which is probably an abbreviation for "Make Germany Great Again" - based on the slogan "Make America Great Again" ("MAGA"). Since taking office in January 2025, the AfD has been said to have better connections than ever before with the US capital Washington. Weidel called Trump a role model given his return to the White House, and AfD representatives traveled to Washington for his inauguration.

US Vice President JD Vance met with Weidel on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in February 2025 and warned at the conference against ignoring the will of millions of voters by excluding populist parties and political “firewalls”. His statements made waves at the time and were criticized by numerous German politicians.