Skip next section Ex-finance minister blames SPD and Greens for growth of AfDFebruary 11, 2025
Ex-finance minister blames SPD and Greens for growth of AfDChristian Lindner’s Free Democrats are polling below the 5% threshold for entering parliamentImage: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP/picture allianceGermany’s former finance minister, Free Democrats (FDP) leader Christian Lindner, has accused his former coalition partners from the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Green Party of enabling the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
“Everything which makes them stronger comes from you,” said Lindner, listing “economic stagnation, paternalism, ideologically driven climate policies and a refusal to limit migration.”
Lindner, whose dismissal as finance minister in November 2024 prompted the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government and the calling of an early election, warned: “Democracy must deliver so that people don’t look for an alternative to democracy.”
In his speech to parliament, Linder promoted classic neoliberal FDP policies such tax cuts, less bureaucracy, a smaller welfare state, a commitment to Germany’s so-called debt break and the promotion of new technologies in energy and transport policy.
He accused his former coalition partners of “still not having found an answer” to Germany’s economic and immigration problems, and warned against future coalitions with the Christian Democrats (CDU).
“It is a horrifying prospect that you could all govern this country together,” he said.
A relatively small party, the FDP has often formed the junior partner in coalition governments, but is facing a battle at this election just to overcome the minimum 5% hurdle to get into parliament. The most recent polling put the FDP at just 4%.
https://p.dw.com/p/4qJFZ
Skip next section Change in Germany ‘only possible’ with AfD, says WeidelFebruary 11, 2025
Change in Germany ‘only possible’ with AfD, says WeidelAfter Merz ruled out a coalition with the AfD, despite using its votes for an anti-mmigration motion, Weidel accused him of “deceiving” votersImage: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP/picture allianceAlice Weidel, leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), has told the Bundestag that real change on migration, energy, taxation and the economy can only be delivered by her party.
After Christian Democrat (CDU) leader and chancellor frontrunner Friedrich Merz insisted he would not enter into a coalition with the AfD, despite having controversially relied on its votes to pass an anti-immigration motion two weeks ago, Weidel accused him of “deceiving” voters.
“You have already failed because you will not be able to implement any of your promises with the Greens and Social Democrats,” she said. “You will only achieve a continuation of the destruction of our country which began with [former CDU chancellor] Angela Merkel.”
The AfD is officially suspected by Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution of being an extreme-right organization.
At party conferences, Weidel herself has openly promoted a policy of “remigration,” a concept which foresees the mass deportation of people with migratory backgrounds — even German citizens — and which has its roots in far-right, identitarian and neo-Nazi circles.
On Tuesday, however, Weidel struck a more moderate tone, calling merely for “fundamental reform” of laws on residency and naturalization, which she said “ought to be open to all those who work here, pay taxes and identify with the national state of the Germans, its culture and its laws, and who want to contribute positively to that.”
She said the AfD only wants to deport “notorious, criminal, religious extremists.”
The AfD is polling in second place, behind Merz’s CDU, which is on track to win the biggest share of votes.
https://p.dw.com/p/4qIzy
Skip next section Watch: How are political parties in Germany financed?February 11, 2025
Watch: How are political parties in Germany financed?Grzegorz Szymanowski
Politics runs on votes — but also on money. In Germany, political parties rely heavily on state funding, but they also need to raise their own funds.
How are political parties in Germany financed?To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
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Skip next section Germans living abroad face a race to voteFebruary 11, 2025
Germans living abroad face a race to voteThree to four million Germans living abroad can vote in the upcoming snap elections on February 23, but doing so is easier said than done.
Due to tight deadlines, obtaining and returning ballot papers in time is difficult.
Germans abroad must register on the electoral roll of their last place of residence in Germany.
Unlike some countries, Germany does not allow voting at embassies.
Read more about the snags by clicking here.
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Skip next section Habeck bemoans absence of climate in election debateFebruary 11, 2025
Habeck bemoans absence of climate in election debateRobert Habeck is The Greens candidate for chancellor Habeck said climate protection was barely mentioned in the election campaign.Image: Kay Nietfeld/dpa/picture allianceGerman Vice-Chancellor and Green Party lead candidate Robert Habeck has lamented the absence of climate protection in the current election campaign, an issue which he said was of direction-setting importance for the future.
“We cannot have a country governed by people who are afraid to address problems,” he told both coalition partners and opposition rivals in parliament.
He said it was a shame that a climate consensus which had been shared by Germany’s democratic parties at the last federal election in 2021 was no longer in place.
Habeck accused the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) of “openly” questioning climate protection goals and of being “scared of the challenge of implementing measures to protect the environment.”
He dismissed heckles from far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) lawmakers during his speech to Parliament as “animalistic grunts.”
Looking abroad, Habeck called the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement a “blow for international climate protection” but insisted that the world was prepared for it and would overcome it.
If, however, Germany were also to vote for climate change sceptics on February 23, the European Union’s climate goals would also be at risk, he warned. “And if Europe falls, then that’s the end of global climate protection.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4qIoP
Skip next section Merz blames Scholz’s coalition for popularity of far rightFebruary 11, 2025
Merz blames Scholz’s coalition for popularity of far rightMerz argued that action was needed to bring immigration under controlImage: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP/picture allianceFriedrich Merz dismissed Scholz’s comments as he took the floor to deliver his speech in the Bundestag.
“What on earth was that?” he responded, describing the chancellor’s speech as “25 minutes of scripted outrage against the leader of the opposition” and accusing Scholz of “confusing the floor of the German Bundestag with a Young Socialists congress.”
Merz said that cooperation with the far-right AfD was also “out of the question” for his party.
He blamed the rise of the far right on the failures of Scholz’s three-way coalition, which collapsed in November, saying they had pursued “left-wing politics against the discernible will of the population.”
He described Scholz and his Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck from the Green Party as: “Two business managers who have driven the company into the ground only to go to the owners and say: ‘We want to continue doing this for another four years.’ The owners would amicably ask them to leave the company.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4qIOs
Skip next section Scholz vows to ‘never, never, never’ work with far rightFebruary 11, 2025
Scholz vows to ‘never, never, never’ work with far rightIn the final full parliamentary debate ahead of federal elections on February 23, German Chancellor Scholz promised that his Social Democratic Party (SPD) would “never, never, never make common cause with the extreme right.”
At the same time, he accused his main rival, Christian Democrat (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz, of doing precisely that.
Referring to an anti-immigration motion which the CDU pushed through parliament with the support of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on January 29, Scholz accused Merz of getting into bed with right-wing extremists when he “finds compromise among democrats too difficult.”
“There is no support in our country for the breach of convention which you committed here in parliament two weeks ago,” said Scholz, warning against the possibility of a CDU/AfD majority in parliament.”The vast majority of people in Germany do not want more and more extremist shrieking, hate and polarization,” he insisted. “The vast majority want solutions from the center and for the center.”
All parties have ruled out forming a coalition with the AfD, which is polling in second place behind the CDU.
https://p.dw.com/p/4qILQ
Skip next section Left Party hits record membershipFebruary 11, 2025
Left Party hits record membershipGermany’s socialist Left Party has seen a record increase in registrations since the start of the year, with a new 23,473 members taking the total membership to 81,210.
“The Left Party is growing like never before,” said party co-chairman Jan van Aken. “Over 81,000 people have signed up because they want a politics which stands up for affordable living and fair wages.”
According to the far-left party’s own figures, more than 23,000 new members have signed up since January 1, the vast majority of them (17,470) since January 29 — when the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) controversially secured a majority for an anti-immigration motion with the support of votes from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
The move was seen as breaking a conventional “firewall” in German politics whereby traditional, democratic parties refuse to cooperate with the extreme right. It has since seen hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets in protests in various cities.
The average age of the Left Party’s new members is 28.7, over 52.7% of whom are female. That brings the average age of all party members down to 43.3 and the proportion of women up slightly to 42.3%.
“People are banging on our door to get in,” said van Aken. “That gives us a lot of strength for the election campaign.”
The latest polling ahead of the German federal election puts the Left Party on 6%, ahead of the rival left-wing populist Sahra Wagenkneckt Alliance (BSW) on 5.5% and the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) at just 4%.
With such a performance on February 23, the Left Party would overcome the minimum 5% hurdle required to enter into parliament.
https://p.dw.com/p/4qI4t
Skip next section How immigrant voters could determine the German election resultFebruary 11, 2025
How immigrant voters could determine the German election resultMore than 7 million eligible voters in Germany are immigrants or have parents from abroad.
However, studies show they’re a neglected demographic, and many have lost their faith in the leading parties.
The German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM) found that for voters with a migration background, inflation and the economy are high on their list of concerns.
Read more about everyday worries and party preferences of citizens with a history of migration by clicking here.
https://p.dw.com/p/4qGx8
Skip next section WATCH: Migration a key issue in upcoming German electionFebruary 11, 2025
WATCH: Migration a key issue in upcoming German electionOne of the top issues in the leadup to Germany’s federal election is migration, which has helped fuel the rise of the anti-immigrant, far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Some worry that the conservatives, led by chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz, could be open to working with the AfD:
Migration a key issue in upcoming German electionsTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
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Skip next section Welcome to our coverageFebruary 11, 2025
Welcome to our coverageThere are 12 days to go until the election on February 23, when German voters decide who will run their next government.
DW will keep track of the main stories on the campaign trail and answer your most pressing questions.
Today, one of the last debates before the vote will occur in the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament.
https://p.dw.com/p/4qGnR
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