German conservatives convene amid uproar over far-right cooperation
Germany’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is to open its party conference in Berlin on Monday, less than three weeks ahead of national elections, amid a storm of controversy over a parliamentary motion it passed last week with far-right votes.
The party plans to adopt an “immediate action programme” to be implemented if it wins the election on February 23. Proposals include permanent controls at Germany’s borders and granting police the power to turn back migrants, even in the case of asylum-seekers.
Several demonstrations are planned on Monday outside the conference centre in western Berlin, with organizations including Fridays for Future involved.
The CDU, along with its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), is leading in polls for the vote on February 23 on around 30%, ahead of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
However, CDU leader Friedrich Merz’s controversial decision to push for reforms to the country’s migration laws – following a deadly knife attack last month for which an Afghan national has been detained – has shaken up the election campaign.
Critics accuse Merz of breaking the long-standing “firewall” preventing cooperation with the AfD, after his non-binding plan to tackle illegal migration secured a narrow majority in the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament, on Wednesday thanks to the far-right party’s support.
Protests against Merz’s move have broken out across Germany, with organizers claiming up to 250,000 in attendance at a major demonstration in Berlin on Sunday.
