German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) of promoting “ethnic cleansing” during a confrontation with the party’s leader, Alice Weidel, in the Bundestag on 9 September 2026.
The exchange followed the AfD’s strong performance in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, where it won almost 44% of the vote. Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won 17.2%. The AfD fell three seats short of an outright majority.
Addressing Weidel during a regular parliamentary session, Merz focused on the AfD’s policy of “remigration” and its pledge for a “deportation and remigration” offensive targeting irregular migrants. He said the policy “would be nothing other than a synonym for ethnic cleansing based on origin and skin colour”.
Merz also said that, if the AfD’s programme were carried through, it would mean “nothing other than a synonym for ethnic cleansing in the skilled trades based on skin colour and origin”. He told Weidel that one in six skilled workers had a migration background.
The chancellor said the consequences would be felt across essential services and businesses. “No single care home, hospital or restaurant” could function under the AfD’s plans, he warned.
Merz described the AfD as a “destructive force” and said its migration policy amounted to “ethnic cleansing” for skilled workers. He also accused the party of acting against German interests through its backing for Russia.
Weidel rejected Merz’s argument and told MPs that voters had shown his coalition with the centre left was a total failure. The chamber was disrupted by loud interventions from AfD MPs, prompting Bundestag President Julia Klöckner to threaten expulsions.
The Saxony-Anhalt result has intensified the contest between Merz’s conservative leadership and the AfD, which campaigned on an anti-immigration platform. The party’s regional organisation in Saxony-Anhalt has been labelled “right-wing extremist” by German domestic intelligence.
No far-right party has won power in any of Germany’s 16 states since World War Two. The AfD’s result in Saxony-Anhalt nevertheless left it as the strongest force in the election, while short of an outright majority.
The dispute also drew comment from US President Donald Trump, who praised the AfD’s result as “a really big night”. Trump linked the outcome to “absolutely horrible immigration rules and regulations”.
A telephone call between Merz and Trump, scheduled for Wednesday to mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, was postponed. The brief did not give a reason for the postponement.
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