German politics shaken as CDU breaks taboo with AfD support

The German parliament adopted a resolution incorporating a five-point proposal from the Christian Democrats on Wednesday (29 January 2025), which includes, among other measures, permanent border controls and the unconditional return of all those attempting to cross the border illegally. This policy is also applicable to asylum seekers. Foreign nationals required to leave the country are to be detained in designated centres.

On Friday, 31 January, a bill containing some of the measures proposed in the adopted resolution will be put to a vote in the Bundestag.

The proposal was supported in the Bundestag by the Christian Democratic CDU and CSU, the liberal FDP, and also the AfD, a party identified as partially far-right by German intelligence. Until now, democratic parties in Germany have refused to collaborate with the AfD. The fact that CDU chairman and Christian Democratic candidate for chancellor, Friedrich Merz, accepted AfD's support for his plans is seen by commentators as a breakdown of a firewall and the end of a taboo. The CDU/CSU's acceptance of AfD's support in passing their proposal has already faced widespread criticism, including from German churches.

Shock was also expressed by parties that did not agree with Merz's plan, considering it a breach of EU law and the fundamental right to asylum.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (from the Social Democratic SPD) described the circumstances of the vote as "a bad sign for parliament and Germany." "I will need some time to come to terms with what we have jointly experienced today," wrote Scholz on X. He noted that the voting day "will certainly be described by some as historic." In an evening programme on ARD television, he stated that he could no longer trust Merz, who had previously clearly stated that "exactly what happened today would not take place," but ultimately acted differently.

The head of the SPD parliamentary group, Rolf Mützenich, reacted similarly. He said, "This day will remain in the memory of democracy and probably also in the country's history." He emphasised, "Our parliamentary group, the SPD's parliamentary group, is outraged." Mützenich called the CDU/CSU proposal adopted with AfD's votes "unserious and untrue." The Bundestag elections, which will be held on 23 February this year, will decide whether this was just a careless, irresponsible mistake or the beginning of something more substantial, said Mützenich.

Co-president of the Green parliamentary group, Katharina Dröge, remarked: "From our perspective, this day is a turning point, a caesura for the German Bundestag, for our parliament, and truly a black day for our democracy." She continued, "We need the Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) in the centre of society, we need the union in the centre of democratic parties, we need cooperation with the union." Dröge appealed to the CDU and CSU, stating she would like to believe in Friedrich Merz again, but he would need to rebuild the firewall and ensure that it does not happen again in the future.

The Left party also sharply criticised the CDU and CSU. Heidi Reichinnek, the main candidate of this party in the Bundestag elections, said after the announcement of the voting result: "Mr. Merz, despite all the political differences, I never imagined that the Christian Democratic Party would break this dam and make a pact with the far-right."

According to Reichinnek, the majority with AfD was not accidental. "They sought these majorities, along with the FDP they deliberately sought these majorities and that is the cursed problem, and you still do not understand it!" she exclaimed towards the Christian Democrats and their leader.

Friedrich Merz himself proposed new negotiations with the SPD and the Greens. The Christian Democratic candidate for chancellor stated that "he did not seek other majorities outside the democratic centre of our parliament." He said, "If there was such a majority here today, I regret it," referring to the support from AfD.

In the evening edition of the news on ARD television, Merz explained: "We did not talk to the AfD, we do not discuss with them, we do not agree on texts, but we present what we believe is right in this matter," said the CDU leader. Bringing something to a vote does not equate to cooperating with a party. "There is no cooperation between the CDU/CSU and the AfD. And the people from the AfD can now triumph as they wish," Merz said.

The secretary of the Christian Democratic parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Thorsten Frei, later told ZDF television that the CDU and CSU would like the German government to take action on asylum policy. He denied that the vote was in preparation for a CDU minority government after the elections. "We have such important decisions to make here that we need a stable government with its own majority," he pointed out.

Wolfgang Kubicki, vice-chairman of the liberal FDP, defended his group in parliament. The FDP "will always make decisions based on what is right in a given matter, not on how someone behaves." According to him, democracy was not harmed by the behaviour during the vote, but rather by the fact that the democratic centre in the Bundestag was divided. Social Democrats and Greens, through their behaviour, strengthened the AfD instead of weakening it because they described problems but did not solve them, Kubicki accused Olaf Scholz's government. Prior to the split last November, the FDP was part of Olaf Scholz's government.

The leader of the AfD and the party’s candidate for chancellor, Alice Weidel, called the Bundestag vote to tighten migration policy a "great day for democracy." "We see that there is a civil majority and that sensible proposals can be voted through," she said. Weidel urged the CDU and CSU to consider "whether the firewall, which in our opinion is undemocratic and excludes millions of voters, should be maintained." She noted that the Christian Democrats had long rejected the idea of restricting migration but have now embraced the AfD's demands. She anticipated that the majority would continue to shift in favour of the supporters of AfD and CDU/CSU.

Co-chairman of the AfD, Tino Chrupalla, spoke of a "turning point in migration policy." He expressed hope that Friedrich Merz would indeed put the announced migration bill to a vote on Friday.

Several hundred people protested on Wednesday evening outside the CDU party's headquarters in Berlin against the joint CDU/CSU and AfD vote to tighten migration policy. The rally, under the slogan "firewall instead of incitement," was organised by human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Germany’s "Seebrücke." According to the police, around 650 people participated in the demonstration.