The ruling CDU’s leadership spent this past weekend in Berlin-Grunewald in a strategy meeting to address its approach towards the right-wing populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), currently the most popular party in Germany. The party’s current Brandmauer—’firewall’—policy forbids any cooperation with the anti-immigration AfD. Despite the Weidel-led party’s growing support, the CDU, with Chanchellor Friedrich Merz at its helm, reaffirmed the cordon sanitaire stance at the meet.
Calls to reconsider the rigid policy have recently come from former CDU General Secretary Peter Tauber and ex-Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, along with similar exhortations by CDU politicians from eastern states including Thuringia, Saxony, and Brandenburg, where the AfD dominates local politics. Andreas Bühl, CDU parliamentary group leader in Thuringia, stated: “Those who align their politics solely according to who supports them confuse morality with politics.” Many other eastern CDU politicians have also voiced concerns that the firewall limits the party’s ability to engage with a substantial portion of voters.
According to German media reports, two studies were presented to inform the discussion. Surveys of AfD voters showed that it is virtually impossible to win them back to the CDU/CSU, as the party has strayed too far from their preferences. A second study by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation examined right-wing parties across Europe and concluded that the AfD’s rise reflects a broader international trend toward nationalist ideologies, rather than being due to Merkel-era policies alone. According to the report, this explains why the AfD’s popularity continued even after Angela Merkel left office in 2021.
The AfD is already the strongest political force in several eastern states. In Saxony-Anhalt, for example, polls suggest it could reach up to 40% in the next regional election. Despite being the largest opposition force nationwide, the AfD remains excluded from leadership positions in the Bundestag, including chair and vice-chair roles in key parliamentary committees. Millions of voters thus lack meaningful representation while the CDU maintains a strict non-cooperation policy.
Left-wing activists have threatened the CDU over any potential engagement. The Center for Political Beauty (ZPS) warned on X: “The CDU is completely clueless about the forces it would unleash if it ever wanted to make a pact with right-wing extremism. NEVER AGAIN!” They claimed that any cooperation could provoke mass protests and even unseat the CDU from office. ZPS emphasized that such actions would create a “social firewall” stronger than any party policy.
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