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The co-leader of the extreme right alternative for Germany congratulated Donald Trump as “the right man” to end the war in Ukraine and urged his country to remain a “neutral mediator” in a debate TV in four lanes animated before the general elections next Sunday.
The largest country in Europe is entering its last week of the campaign as it is struggling with a stagnated economy, a debate on immigration and a deep anxiety about the rapid deteriorated transatlantic relationship under the new Trump administration, which openly has balanced behind AFD.
During a two-hour show during prime time, AFD candidate Alice Weidel became the main target of the Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz, candidate of the Green Party Robert Habeck and the party leader Christian Democrat Friedrich Merz. One by one, they confronted the far -right politician on subjects such as the war in Ukraine and the association of his party with the Nazi ideology.
Weidel boasted of the support she received from the US vice-president JD Vance, who met her on the sidelines of the Munich’s annual security conference this weekend. The 46-year-old politician welcomed Vance’s speech to the participants at the conference urging traditional politicians from Europe to engage with far-right and anti-establishment parties.
“Vance admitted that you cannot build firewalls to exclude millions of voters from the start. He clearly said we have to talk to each other, “said Weidel.
Weidel, whose party is expected to win 20% of the votes on February 23, has seized US support since Trump’s return to the White House.
Elon Musk, the richest man in the world and a close advisor to Trump, has repeatedly used his social media society to promote AFD, a party suspected of right -wing extremism of the German intelligence agency. Weidel was also organized in Budapest by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who described it as “the future”.
Vance’s latest support demonstration, which snubbed Scholz in Munich, has caused the anger of the German established parties, which all refused to enter a coalition with an AFD. This anger turned frequently in the open air during the debate on Sunday.
Merz, whose CDU party should win the elections with around 30% of the votes, accused Weidel of having held extremists in his party like Björn Höcke, who won last fall won regional elections in the ‘ Oriental state of Thuring, and “who each man and woman in Germany can call a Nazi with impunity”. Höcke was convicted of knowingly used a Nazi slogan prohibited last year.
“We have a good tradition in Germany, which consists in learning the lessons of the experiences of National Socialism,” also said Scholz. “There is no cooperation with the extreme right.”
“I find this scandalous comparison,” replied the far -right candidate. “Listen, you can insult me here tonight as you wish.” You insult millions of voters. »»
The address of Vance to the Munich security conference and Trump’s decision to negotiate a peace regulation with Vladimir Putin without consulting Kyiv and his European allies in advance set up.
The candidates clashed on how to finance billions of additional defense expenses as well as thorny questions of sending troops to Ukraine in the context of post -establishment security guarantees – a subject that will be discussed during a Meeting organized by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday on Monday.
“What has happened in recent weeks and with the Munich Security Conference cannot be taken serious enough, because the Trump administration is launching a frontal attack on the West Community of Values,” said Habeck .
Merz criticized Scholz for letting the French chief coordinate an EU response to Trump negotiations with Putin. He also accused the Chancellor, whose SPD party is lagging behind in third place with 15% of the planned votes, of retaining military aid in Ukraine for political reasons.
But throughout the debate, which covered a wide range of subjects, including immigration and the economy, the favorite to become Chancellor has kept his strongest criticism for Weidel.
Responding to his suggestions that Germany should not take sides in the conflict, he said: “No, we are not neutral, we are not between the two. We are on the side of Ukraine and, with Ukraine, we defend the political order that we have here. »»
