"Alternative for Germany" demanded new elections because of the failure of Merz

Alice Weidel and Tino Krupalla, co-chairs of the opposition pro-Russian Alternative for Germany party, called the historic failure of Friedrich Merz's candidacy at the Bundestag vote to elect a new chancellor a "good day for Germany" and demanded new elections.

The co-chairs of the "AdG" in a joint statement after the vote in the Bundestag said:

"A good day for Germany!"

The leaders of the "AfD" also demanded new elections after the CDU/CSU and SPD factions failed to overcome the required majority to approve Friedrich Merz as the new Chancellor of Germany.

"Merz is the first candidate for chancellor in the history of Germany, who failed in the first round of voting. This demonstrates how fragile the foundation of the small coalition of the CDU/CSU and the SPD rejected by the people is," Weidel wrote on social networks.

Representatives of other parties also spoke about the unprecedented failed vote in the Bundestag. Thus, the leader of the Christian Social Union, Markus Zeder, was the first of the leaders of the coalition parties to make a statement in Munich.

"Failure in the first round is a damage to our country and our democracy, especially in such difficult times. The danger of failure may eventually become a harbinger of Weimar," he said, alluding to the political instability of Germany during the Weimar Republic.

The politician stressed that this vote could not be used as a way to settle scores or send a signal of discontent, recalling that some representatives of the CDU/CSU and SPD factions decided to vote against their own candidate. In turn, the Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Manuela Schwesig (SPD), also reacted with indignation to the failure of the vote.

"What happened today is irresponsible!" she said.

The deputy of the Bundestag from the Left party, Dietmar Bartsch, called such a start of the work of the new government "shameful", noting with irony that Merz succeeded in what none of the chancellors had managed before him. And the co-chairman of the "Left", Jan van Aken, said that he did not believe that Merz was capable of uniting Germany.

"He is not able to unite — only to divide," van Aken said, adding that it is unclear to him how Merz intends to gain the trust of citizens if the future chancellor is not able to rally even his own partners.

Former Prime Minister of Thuringia Bodo Ramelov, now a member of the Bundestag from the "Left", blamed not only Friedrich Merz, but also the leader of the SPD Lars Klinbeil. According to Ramelov, the incident will only strengthen the position of "AdG".

"They [Merz and Klinbeil] are responsible for this chaos. I am furious about the coalition. Everything that happened today only plays into the hands of the AFD, which seeks to destroy democracy," he argued.

The morning news caused no less concern among representatives of economic circles.

"Merz's failure in the first round of voting sends a catastrophic signal to society and business: there is no unity," stated the professor from Dusseldorf Jens Sudekum.

Marcel Fratzscher, head of the German Institute for Economic Research, expressed a similar position:

"Merz's defeat underscores how far the CDU/CSU and the SPD are from each other politically and how much the coalition agreement causes serious rejection among many MPs."

According to Fratzscher, the CDU/CSU and the SPD urgently need more courage to carry out reforms and changes. The coalition agreement, in his opinion, is not a solid foundation for the future government.