Conservative leader slams US Vice President JD Vance's support for far-right AfD party, says ‘I will not let US Vice President tell me who I have to talk to here in Germany'
Leading German chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz on Sunday strongly criticized US Vice President JD Vance for expressing support for the far-right AfD party ahead of the Feb. 23 parliamentary elections.
During a heated chancellor candidates' debate on TV, opposition leader Friedrich Merz reiterated that his Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) will not cooperate or enter into coalition talks with the AfD after the elections.
"I will not let US Vice President tell me who I have to talk to here in Germany. I accepted the results of the US elections held on Nov. 8 last year, and I expect the American government to do the same in return,” he said.
US Vice President JD Vance sparked controversy on Friday when, in a speech at the Munich Security Conference, he criticized European governments and political parties for taking a stance against right-wing populist parties, excluding them from political processes.
Following his speech, Vance met with AfD (Alternative for Germany) Co-Chair Alice Weidel in Munich, indicating support just a week before Germany's parliamentary elections on Feb. 23, in a breach of diplomatic norms.
Conference organizers did not invite Weidel due to her party's anti-democratic positions.
Recent polls show Merz's center-right CDU/CSU alliance leading with 30%, though unable to secure an outright majority in parliament. Analysts expect him to seek a coalition with either the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) or the Greens to form a government.
Chancellor Scholz's SPD currently stands at 16%, with the Greens at 14%. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is positioned to become parliament's second-largest party at 20%. However, the AfD appears unlikely to be part of any coalition government, as all other parties have rejected working with the far-right group.
