German leader drops tough immigration stance after election win

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In a dramatic shift following his party’s electoral triumph in Germany’s federal elections, prospective chancellor Friedrich Merz began backtracking on his tough immigration stance as he seeks coalition partnerships with left-wing parties instead of the immigration-skeptic Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Despite running on a platform of strict immigration control, Merz appears to be following a familiar pattern of conservative politicians retreating from campaign promises post-election. Prior to the vote, he championed enhanced deportation measures and stringent border controls to stem illegal migration into Germany, including asylum seekers from other EU countries. While he previously advocated for permanent restrictions, supported by the AfD in a contentious vote, Merz now characterizes these measures as merely “temporary,” according to NTV.

“None of us wants to close the borders,” Merz declared Monday, clearly attempting to appeal to the establishment Social Democrats (SPD) for coalition talks. This marks a stark departure from his campaign rhetoric, as left-wing parties had opposed his border control proposals, arguing they violated EU regulations.

Friedrich Merz is just another globalist puppet former BlackRock Germany chairman, WEF board member, Bilderberg attendee, and a proponent of digital IDs, vaccine passports, and open borders. Now, he refuses to discuss border closures #GermanElections https://t.co/YvSaaGpAvm

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— Louis Buchalter (@lepke2112) February 24, 2025

Despite suffering their worst electoral defeat since World War II and falling to third place for the first time, the SPD remains crucial to Merz’s coalition aspirations as he maintains the political “firewall” against the AfD. SPD leader Lars Klingbeil stated on Monday that he expects “Merz will change his course and his tone significantly” to secure a partnership. The SPD is also likely to push for loosening debt restrictions to expand social programs and Ukraine support.

A potential CDU-SPD alliance would resurrect the “grand coalition” that governed during the 2015 European Migrant Crisis under Angela Merkel’s leadership. This prospect has drawn sharp criticism from AfD leader Alice Weidel, who accused Merz of “election fraud.”

“[Merz] no longer wants to close the borders and wants to talk to the Greens and SPD about reforming the debt brake. This is politics against the will of the voters!”

Read his lips. This betrayal is familiar to Republican voters: campaign as a conservative but govern as a liberal. Merz promised he would end the immigration that is turning Germany into Syria. But he was just kidding. So the German bull markets in rape and terrorism continue. https://t.co/IRnDOMIdDn

— Ayn Reagan (@AynReagan) February 24, 2025

Immigration concerns significantly contributed to the previous left-wing government’s downfall, following multiple migrant-related terror incidents across German cities including Mannheim, Solingen, Magdeburg, Aschaffenburg, and Munich.

After Merz reaffirmed his preference for an SPD coalition over the AfD, Weidel predicted his tenure would be short-lived, forced to accommodate the left-wing agenda voters had rejected. Internal party pressure is mounting as well, with North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister-President Hendrik Wüst demanding increased deportations, stating: “We need full planes every week that take people to where they are already entitled to an asylum procedure in Europe.”

Wüst emphasized Berlin’s responsibility in reforming EU immigration policies, including strengthened external borders, proper registration procedures, and enforcement of the Dublin Regulation requiring asylum seekers to apply in their first EU country of entry.

“We can’t just let it continue like this at random,” he concluded.