Germany’s likely next chancellor says Europe must achieve security and defence independence from US
Friedrich Merz called the AfD surge a 'really the last warning to the political parties of the democratic centre in Germany to find joint solutions' to pressing domestic problems. Photograph: Getty Imageswith 28.6 per cent of the vote. His preferred – and set to be only – partner is the centre-right Social Democratic Party, which lost nine points to finish on 16 per cent.
This logic, Mr Merz said, meant alliance members heading to its summit in June wouldn’t know if they would “still be talking about Nato in its current form or whether we will have to establish an independent European defence capability much more quickly”. Even before taking office Mr Merz faces pressure to step up German military deliveries to Ukraine, including controversial cruise missiles blocked by the administration of chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Mr Merz said he had sent a “memorandum of understanding” to the outing SPD-led government, reminding it not to take any major foreign or domestic policy decisions without the agreement of the CDU/CSU in this transition phase.
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