German chancellor accuses AfD of 'ethnic cleansing' agenda after Saxony-Anhalt win

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confronted the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) for the first time since its landmark win in Sunday's Saxony-Anhalt state election, telling a heated Bundestag session on Wednesday that the party's 'remigration' agenda is effectively a term for ethnic cleansing based on origin and skin colour.

His remarks drew applause from other parties, while AfD lawmakers repeatedly heckled him during the speech. Merz warned that mass deportations of the kind championed by the AfD would cripple key sectors of the economy, arguing that care homes, hospitals and restaurants across Germany depend on immigrant labour to keep running.

Support slipping, tougher line on migration

Support for Merz, a Christian Democrat, has fallen sharply during his 16 months in office leading a coalition with the center-left Social Democrats, amid frustration over weak economic growth and living costs. He has taken a harder stance on border policy in an effort to win back AfD-leaning voters, while insisting the government carefully distinguishes between working immigrants who contribute to prosperity and those without permanent residency who must leave.

The AfD captured nearly 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt but fell three seats short of an outright majority. Its lead candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, is now seeking backing from other parties to become state premier, a move Merz described as breaking a campaign pledge.

Merz further criticized the AfD for opposing military support for Ukraine and for staying silent on a failed drone bomb attack at Leipzig airport that authorities say was planned in Russia. AfD leader Alice Weidel, for her part, celebrated the election result as a referendum on Merz's leadership and reaffirmed her party's ambition to eventually form a federal government. National polls currently place the AfD in first place with 28-29% support.