German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday ruled out any coalition with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), declaring that his conservatives' only viable governing partner is the center-left Social Democrats.
"My answer is no. I will not do that," Merz said during a panel discussion at the East German Economic Forum in Brandenburg. He said calls for his conservatives to work with the AfD surfaced repeatedly, but he considered the party a threat to Germany's postwar democratic tradition.
"A few people out there tell me, 'Why don't you just do it together with the AfD?'" Merz said. "After all, they share your views, they tell me. They align with you on so many issues, and together you would hold a majority in parliament."
Merz described the AfD as a threat to Germany's postwar democratic tradition and said he would not work with the party.
Citing modern German history, Merz said he believes the AfD could steer the country back toward a more nationalist era and reverse the democratic course set by Konrad Adenauer — West Germany's first chancellor after World War II.
"It was under Adenauer that we in Germany finally left the era of nationalism behind us," Merz said. "And I will not lead the Federal Republic of Germany — nor my own party — backwards, behind the era of Adenauer."
The remarks drew sustained, appreciative applause from the audience, and many attendees nodded in agreement as he spoke.
Merz also pushed back against speculation that he might seek a new coalition partner amid tensions with the Social Democrats over a series of policy disputes. "I am not looking for another partner. And I do not have another partner," Merz said.
