Why a second-place AfD could be the real winner in Germany’s election
A CDU-led coalition government, from which the AfD is excluded, would allow the hard-right party to portray itself as the opposition.
The Germans go to the polls on Sunday and on Monday there will probably be two headlines: “CDU’s Friedrich Merz to become Chancellor” and “AfD finishes 2nd with 140 seats in Bundestag”.
Of the two, it’s possible the second is more important but first let’s deal with Merz.
He’s a 69-year-old Catholic from North Rhine Westphalia who is married with three children and flies his own plane, something as a multi-millionaire he can afford. He describes himself as “upper middle class”. Oh, and he doesn’t much like his former boss Angela Merkel – accusing her of “idle” leadership and being a “carpet of fog” over Germany. She did effectively push him out of politics, but he has returned to try and become Chancellor and rid the CDU (Christian Democratic Union) of its centrist legacy.
He's relatively hawkish on Ukraine and unlike Chancellor Scholz might allow German Taurus missiles to be sent to the front lines although contributing troops to a European “reassurance” force post a ceasefire would be a political challenge. He says he’ll cut welfare and lower taxes (good luck with that, Friedrich).