The former German chancellor and leftist Angela Merkel publicly called on immigrants to vote against the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, in a statement that generated strong controversy.
In an interview with Hesse Broadcasting earlier this month, Merkel urged people with “migratory backgrounds” to align themselves politically with those who do not support AfD.
In this context, he said: "If only we would all unite against this party. And we should not divide ourselves as a political center, I mean, between those who have a migratory history and those who don't. Because then our country would weaken in the face of the AfD
.”The former foreign minister deepened her position by stressing the need for unity in the face of what she considers a political challenge, in a context of strong growth in support for the right-wing party.
"It doesn't matter if a German citizen has been a German citizen for two years or four days, or that the whole family has been in the country for three generations. We are the German people... We must remain united even when we have to act against those who have completely different ideas about our future,” he said.
The AfD's response
However, his words did not go unnoticed and generated a strong reaction from the AfD itself. Its leader, Alice Weidel, severely questioned Merkel and held her responsible for the direction the country took
