Germany’s Merz attacks AfD in parliament after far-right election win

In a heated parliamentary session, Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz sharply criticized the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and its leader Alice Weidel, following the far-right party’s recent regional election win. Merz accused Weidel’s migration policy of amounting to “ethnic cleansing” of skilled workers, a pointed charge directed at the party’s stance on immigration.

The exchange shows how the AfD’s recent electoral gains are reshaping debate in Germany’s parliament. With the far right winning new support, the political center is under pressure to respond more forcefully, and migration policy has become one of the sharpest lines of contention.

What to watch now is how the AfD answers back, how lawmakers across the other parties react to the chancellor’s language, and whether this confrontation sharpens the broader fight over migration policy in the months ahead.