Merkel’s Marching Orders: Snatch Back Anti-Immigrant Party Votes
- CDU must approach AfD voters while standing by ‘core values’
- German leader speaks amid surge in support for populist party
Angela Merkel
Photographer: Alessia Pierdomenico/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Confronted with a surge in populist anger, Chancellor Angela Merkel said her Christian Democratic Union must aggressively pursue voters tempted by the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party, or AfD.
Merkel said the CDU must stand by its values, from its opposition to “xenophobia and racism” to its commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Up and down the country, AfD has grown more popular by attacking Merkel’s open-door refugee policy.