Politics & Governance
Merz accuses AfD of ethnic cleansing policy
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused the far-right AfD's demand for mass “remigration” of being “ethnic cleansing by skin colour and origin” during a heated Bundestag exchange on Wednesday.
Merz made the remarks three days after the Alternative for Germany won almost 44 percent of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt, defeating his centre-right CDU, which took 17 percent. The AfD fell three seats short of an absolute majority and has said it is in talks with other groups and lawmakers in an effort to form a state government.
Merz targeted the AfD's policy calling for mass deportations of rejected asylum seekers and people arriving through irregular channels. “The word ‘remigration’ is nothing other than a synonym for ethnic cleansing,” he said, drawing protests from AfD lawmakers.
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said the days of Merz's coalition “are over” and said voters wanted a change in politics. She also accused the government of making Germany unsafe through its immigration policy.
Merz replied that the AfD's immigration policy would damage the labour market, saying care homes, hospitals and restaurants could not operate without migrant workers. He also accused the AfD of contributing to what he called Russian efforts to destabilise Germany, citing a foiled drone attack at Leipzig airport last month that Berlin has blamed on Russia.
Parliamentary speaker Julia Kloeckner warned noisy AfD lawmakers that they could be thrown out if their behaviour continued.
The Saxony-Anhalt result raised the prospect of the first far-right government taking charge of a German state since World War II. Germany's domestic intelligence agency labels the AfD's Saxony-Anhalt branch a “right-wing extremist” group.
Update
Friedrich Merz accused the AfD's demand for mass “remigration” of being a synonym for ethnic cleansing.
Alice Weidel told parliament that Merz's coalition's days “are over” and attacked the government's immigration policy.
Merz accused the AfD of contributing to what he described as Russian efforts to destabilise Germany.
Parliamentary speaker Julia Kloeckner warned heckling AfD lawmakers they could be thrown out if the behaviour continued.
Source note: AFP news report published on 9 September 2026 at 09:53:45 UTC.
Update
Several thousand protesters gathered at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate to oppose the AfD after its Saxony-Anhalt victory.
Berlin protest participants told AFP they feared for democracy and freedom in Germany.
Supporters of US President Donald Trump, including Richard Grenell and Elon Musk, publicly welcomed the AfD result.
France's far-right National Rally reacted more cautiously, saying it took note of the vote.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 September 2026 at 18:54:47 UTC.
Update
Friedrich Merz said he would not change his position on Germany's support for Ukraine and defending freedom against Russia.
AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund said the party was reaching out to other parties and individual MPs to build a stable ruling coalition.
Elon Musk congratulated the AfD result on X with the German phrase “Gut gemacht!”.
A migrant in Magdeburg told AFP he was scared after the AfD victory, while AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla said “no one needs to be afraid of us”.
Berenberg chief economist Holger Schmieding said the result was a huge blow to Merz but that his coalition was more likely than not to continue until 2029.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 September 2026 at 13:09:26 UTC.
Update
Friedrich Merz called the CDU result its heaviest electoral defeat in years or decades.
Merz said the defeat would have to have consequences.
Defeated Saxony-Anhalt premier Sven Schulze said the mandate to govern now lies with the AfD.
Merz said his own low poll ratings and criticism of slow reforms had been issues in the campaign.
Merz said he remained determined to continue reforms but needed to explain them better.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 September 2026 at 12:18:05 UTC.
Update
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his determination to continue reforms was unbroken.
Merz said he would seek to explain the reforms better after the CDU's Saxony-Anhalt defeat.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 September 2026 at 11:52:07 UTC.
Update
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was deeply shocked by the AfD's landslide state poll.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 September 2026 at 11:39:38 UTC.
Update
Merz's CDU scored 17 percent in Saxony-Anhalt, while the AfD won almost 44 percent.
AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund said the party was reaching out to other parties and individual lawmakers to try to form a stable ruling coalition.
AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla said no one needed to be afraid of the party and described conditions for people with a migrant background.
CDU state premier Sven Schulze said his campaign faced headwinds from national government policies.
Schleswig-Holstein CDU premier Daniel Guenther called the AfD result a shocking moment for Germany.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 September 2026 at 10:58:33 UTC.
Update
The AfD won Saxony-Anhalt with 44 percent of the vote and fell three seats short of an absolute majority.
Alice Weidel predicted the AfD would beat Merz's CDU/CSU bloc in the 2029 national elections.
AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla criticised German support for Ukraine.
Ulrich Siegmund reached out to other parties or individual lawmakers to form a governing majority.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 September 2026 at 09:16:00 UTC.
Update
The far-right AfD said Chancellor Friedrich Merz was a “major burden” for Germany after its vote win.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 September 2026 at 08:30:01 UTC.
Update
The AfD was projected at 44 percent and the CDU at around 18 percent.
The AfD looked set to miss an absolute majority and had just under half of parliamentary seats.
Sven Schulze will remain caretaker state premier during coalition talks.
A CDU coalition with the SPD, Greens and Die Linke would still lack a majority, according to the new account.
The BSW party was expected to just enter parliament with five percent, and Alice Weidel said a government scenario involving the BSW was interesting for the AfD.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 September 2026 at 20:43:32 UTC.
Update
Record voter turnout was reported at at least 75 percent.
CDU state premier Sven Schulze called the result “a severe blow”.
AfD national co-leader Alice Weidel said the party had received “a very clear mandate to govern here”.
The CDU's possible route to staying in power could involve the SPD, Greens and support from Die Linke, depending on final results and smaller parties.
Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews, said he was personally appalled by the result.
The BSW party's possible return to parliament and stance could affect whether the AfD can govern.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 September 2026 at 17:44:30 UTC.
Update
AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund said the party had made history.
Exit polls put Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU at around 18.5 percent.
It remained unclear whether the AfD would win an absolute majority that could allow it to govern alone.
CDU state premier Sven Schulze could seek a multi-party coalition to block the AfD from power, depending on the final count.
The AfD's Saxony-Anhalt branch is categorised as right-wing extremist by Germany's domestic intelligence agency.
The result increases pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose CDU has also trailed the AfD in national surveys.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 September 2026 at 16:28:06 UTC.
Update
Exit polls by ARD and ZDF put the AfD at at least 44 percent in Saxony-Anhalt.
The CDU of Chancellor Friedrich Merz stood at 18.5 percent in the exit polls.
Public broadcasters said it was too early to say whether the AfD would win an absolute majority.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 September 2026 at 16:12:29 UTC.
Update
AfD's top candidate said, “We have made history,” after the Germany state poll win.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 September 2026 at 16:09:18 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
It remains unclear whether the AfD can form a state government in Saxony-Anhalt.
Merz's description of the AfD policy as ethnic cleansing is a political accusation, not an established legal finding.
Weidel's claims about immigration and public safety were political assertions.
Source
AFP news report published on .