German Chancellor Friedrich Merz clashed with AfD leader Alice Weidel in parliament, calling her party's migration policy "ethnic cleansing" for skilled workers. In the aftermath of the AfD's election win in Saxony-Anhalt, where they won 44% of the vote, Merz accused the party of harming German interests and putting millions at risk through its remigration policy. Weidel responded by saying voters had rejected Merz's coalition with the centre left and that his time was up. The Bundestag session became increasingly heated, with Weidel accusing Merz's government of driving Germany towards bankruptcy.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is poised to gain significant power in a regional election, which could make it the first far-right party to hold state power in Saxony-Anhalt since World War II. The AfD, known for its anti-immigration and nationalist policies, has been gaining popularity in recent years, and its leader, Ulrich Siegmund, is popular among voters. If the AfD wins a majority of seats in the regional parliament, it would give the party significant leverage over state resources, including education policy. The party's platform includes creating separate classrooms for refugees, normalizing relations with Russia through student exchange programs, and promoting a patriotism agenda that focuses less on Germany's Nazi past. An AfD win could also spell trouble for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has struggled to contain the rise of the far right. Meanwhile, experts warn that an AfD victory could lead to a shift in German politics, with potential implications for immigration policy, education, and international relations.
Written for “German Election and the AfD Party” on 2026-09-09,
grounded in this article and the 56 other(s) covering the same event.
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Leaning score -0.65 for article 7339 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-09
- Published
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has clashed with AfD leader Alice Weidel in parliament, calling her party a "destructive force" with a migration policy that amounts to "ethnic cleansing" for skilled workers.
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that → publish → workers
Merz was addressing the Bundestag in the aftermath of the anti-immigration party's sweeping victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt where it won almost 44% of the vote, while the chancellor's conservatives saw their vote halved.
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vote → address → vote
Weidel told MPs that voters had shown that Merz's coalition with the centre left was a total failure and his time was up.
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time → tell → left
Merz hit back saying the AfD had harmed German interests by backing Russia, and its "remigration" policy would affect millions.
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policy → hit → millions
It is not yet clear whether the party will be able to form a government or not in Saxony-Anhalt, having fallen three seats short of an outright majority.
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party → form → majority
No far-right party has won power in any of Germany's 16 states since World War Two, and Merz has admitted the "seismic" result has changed Germany.
The AfD's success has been praised by US President Donald Trump, who said "the Populist Party in Germany just had a really big night", linking the victory to "absolutely horrible immigration rules and regulations".
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Party → win → rules
The AfD in Saxony-Anhalt has been labelled as "right-wing extremist" by German domestic intelligence and the party has promised a "deportation and remigration" offensive targeting irregular migrants.
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party → label → migrants
Repeatedly heckled by AfD MPs, the chancellor told Weidel that one in six skilled workers had a migration background, and if her party had its way then its policy would amount to "nothing other than an ethnic cleansing in the skilled trades based on skin colour and origin".
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policy → heckle → colour
While the government understood some deportations were needed, he said it make a careful distinction between those who contributed to German prosperity and those without permanent residency.
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who → understand → residency
Disruption by AfD MPs became so loud that at one point Bundestag President Julia Klöckner threatened to start expelling people from the chamber: "We are not on a football pitch."
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We → become → pitch
Weidel said mass migration had left Germans with daily knife violence and attacks on trains and in stations, but Merz warned that the AfD's plans would mean that no single care home, hospital or restaurant could function.
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home → say → stations
As leader of the main opposition party in the Bundestag, Weidel opened the session by telling Merz his Christian Democrats had been "pulverised" in Saxony-Anhalt, after winning 17.2% of the vote, and she accused his government with the Social Democrats of driving Germany towards bankruptcy.
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she → open → bankruptcy
Merz said her party had not won an outright majority in Saxony-Anhalt and it would not achieve one in Germany.
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it → say → Germany
"You are and will remain a destructive force," he said, accusing the party of cheating the voters by saying before the election that their candidate for premier, Ulrich Siegmund, would only rule if he won a majority, but hours after the vote deciding to go and find one.
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he → remain → one
The AfD has opened the door to working with another party, perhaps the left-wing populist BSW, as long as it backs Siegmund to be state premier.
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it → open → Siegmund
Siegmund's number two in Saxony-Anhalt, has even suggested that Merz's CDU could work with his party, if it abandons the so-called firewall (Brandmauer), under which no mainstream party will work with the far right.
uncertain
party → suggest → right
