The German right-wing anti-globalist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party says it is ready to cooperate with the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) after politicians from the latter party said the CDU should reconsider its stance on the AfD.
Similarly to left-wing parties, the CDU has rejected any form of cooperation with the AfD, and has instead opted to work together with, and give in to the leftist demands of the Social Democrats in order to form a government.
This stance has resulted in a drop in the party’s popularity, and some prominent members of the CDU have proposed that the leadership should rethink its position on the cordon sanitaire.
“More and more leading Christian Democrats are now calling for what should actually be a matter of course in a democracy: to finally treat the AfD like any other opposition party,” the largest opposition party tweeted on Thursday, April 17th, adding that “the exclusion of the AfD harms democracy—it does not strengthen it.”
The party says it is still ready to cooperate in the interest of Germany’s citizens. “Many of the CDU’s election promises can only be implemented with the AfD. Anyone who rejects this cooperation, not only betrays their own voters, but also gambles away the chance for real change,” they said.
