Stuttgart, Germany. Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed not to let the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party “ruin” Germany and urged conservatives to prepare for a new climate of great-power competition. He delivered the remarks on Friday at the Christian Democrat (CDU) party’s conference.
Message to CDU conference
Merz reiterated points he made at last weekend’s Munich Security Conference, alongside calls for economic reform and a rejection of antisemitism and the AfD. The AfD is aiming to win its first state election this year.
“We will not allow these people from the so-called Alternative for Germany to ruin our country,” Merz told party delegates. Former chancellor Angela Merkel was welcomed with a storm of applause on her first visit to the conference since stepping down in 2021.
Economic and welfare reform pledges
Merz, trailing badly in the polls ahead of a string of state elections this year, said he accepted criticism that the reforms announced during last year’s election campaign had been slower than initially communicated.
He promised to push ahead with efforts to cut bureaucracy, bring down energy costs and foster investment, saying that economic prosperity was vital to Germany’s security.
Merz also pledged further reforms of the welfare state and said new proposals for a reform of the pension system would be presented. The pledge followed a revolt by younger members of his own party in a bruising parliamentary battle last year.
Upcoming state elections
The elections begin next month with the western states of Baden-Wuerttemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate, followed by a further round later in the year. One of those elections will be held in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD hopes to win its first state ballot.
How will Merz’s reform agenda affect voters in the upcoming state elections?