Germany’s presumptive next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has reiterated his stance of not cooperating with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) after Sunday’s parliamentary election. According to initial projections, Merz’s conservative alliance – comprising the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) – is leading with around 28.5%, while the AfD follows closely behind at around 20%.
In a post-election program, Merz emphasized his commitment to forming a federal government that represents all German citizens and solves the country’s problems. This stance reaffirms his previous assertions on not forming a coalition with the AfD.
Meanwhile, outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz acknowledged that his Social Democrats’ poor performance in the election was “bitter,” marking their worst post-war result. However, he confirmed that he will not lead negotiations for a potential coalition with the CDU/CSU bloc.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/germanys-merz-rules-coalition-far-200423429.html