Former Interior Minister Friedrich calls anti-AfD exclusion strategy a mistake
Hans-Peter Friedrich, ex-CSU interior minister, says the policy of isolating the AfD was wrong and blames the party’s rise on the Union’s past course.
In a recent interview, former interior minister Hans-Peter Friedrich criticized the “brandmauer” that kept the AfD out of mainstream politics, calling it a strategic error. He contends that the exclusion shielded the party’s internal disputes from public view, allowing it to mature unchecked. Friedrich attributes the AfD’s surge to the Union’s shift toward the centre-left under Angela Merkel and its continuation under Friedrich Merz, which he says eroded a clear party identity.
He also cites the CDU’s disastrous results in the latest state elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and a poor showing in Berlin as signs of the Union’s weakened standing. According to Friedrich, a more confrontational approach that held the AfD accountable would have revealed its true nature sooner.
Why it matters
The critique highlights a debate over how mainstream parties should engage with rising right-wing forces in Germany.
How this story developed
- Aug 23 Merz warns AfD win in Saxony-Anhalt could scare off foreign investors
- Sep 21 The CDU failed to clear the 5% threshold in Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern, losing all its seats in the state parliament.
- Sep 21 Elif Eralp, the daughter of Turkish left-wing refugees, was named Die Linke's lead candidate for the Berlin mayoral race, drawing parallels to New York mayor Bill de Blasio’s predecessor.
- Sep 21 Speaking on Tagesschau Extra, Krings said a division of the two top positions has not been ruled out and should be openly discussed. He recalled past CDU experiences where combining the roles proved problematic and stressed that the country's interests must come before personal ambitions. Krings added that the party must focus on overdue reforms rather than debating leadership changes, especially after recent electoral defeats in several states.
- Sep 21 Hamburg party chairman Dennis Thering called for Chancellor Merz to seek a confidence vote in the Bundestag.
- Sep 21 CDU failed to win any seats in the Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern parliament.
- Sep 21 The Greens announced they will seek a red‑green‑red coalition with the Left and SPD.
- Sep 21 AfD received about 44% of the vote in Saxony‑Anhalt, falling short of a majority by three seats.
- Sep 22 The CDU top council met on Monday to voice concerns about the party’s leadership.
- Sep 23 SPD and Greens require Die Linke to demonstrate anti‑antisemitism safeguards before coalition talks can proceed.
- Sep 24 Merz faces mounting pressure after the regional setbacks.
- Sep 24 The Israeli ambassador warned of an “immediate existential threat” to Berlin’s Jewish community over alleged antisemitism in the party.
- Sep 24 The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance pledged support for the AfD’s speaker nominee, creating a parliamentary majority for the AfD in Saxony‑Anhalt.
- Sep 25 Berlin drafts a plan to restrict Saxony‑Anhalt’s access to classified Russian intelligence.
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