Full Breakdown
Germany’s “Political Firewall” Against the AfD Faces Growing Strain
8/23/2026, 8:46:38 PM
The firewall concept and its legal backdrop
German centrist parties use the term “political firewall” to describe a formal boundary that blocks cooperation with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) adopted a “resolution of incompatibility” in 2018 that rejects coalitions and similar cooperation with both the AfD and the Left Party. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified individual AfD state associations as “confirmed right-wing extremist,” but whether the party as a whole acts against the German constitution remains an open question for the Federal Constitutional Court. No formal application to ban the AfD has been filed to date.
Breaches and practical challenges
The firewall’s strictness has been tested repeatedly. In January 2025 the CDU’s parliamentary group accepted AfD support for a motion rejecting asylum-seeker intake, marking a break from its own policy. Earlier, in 2020 Thomas Kemmerich of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) was elected Premier of Thuringia with AfD votes, prompting then-Chancellor Angela Merkel to demand the result be reversed; Kemmerich resigned days later. At municipal levels, politicians from other parties have routinely voted alongside the AfD on local issues, a practice critics say normalises the far-right.
Party positions and official statements
- CDU/Christian Social Union (CSU): As party leader in December 2021, Friedrich Merz announced a firewall against the AfD; as chancellor he now avoids the term and continues to uphold the incompatibility resolution.
- SPD and Greens: Both parties reject any AfD cooperation, though they lack formal resolutions.
- Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW): The left-wing populist founder argues that permanently excluding a party supported by roughly 40 % of voters is “completely undemocratic” and would be willing to pave the way for an AfD-led government in Saxony-Anhalt, where elections are scheduled for September 6.
- Internal CDU pressure: The Brandenburg branch of the Small and Medium Enterprises and Economic Union submitted, then withdrew, a motion to repeal the incompatibility resolution after strong criticism from federal leadership.
Criticism and calls for revision
Critics contend that the firewall risks a gradual “normalisation” of the AfD, making its policies socially acceptable and undermining democratic legitimacy. Wagenknecht’s view that the firewall has failed reflects a broader debate within the CDU, especially among eastern German politicians who question its relevance in regions where the AfD polls strongly.
Impact and outlook
Despite the firewall, the AfD’s poll ratings continue to rise, and its support hovers around 40 % in parts of eastern Germany. The need to form governing majorities that exclude the AfD remains a pressing challenge, leaving the future shape of the firewall—and of German coalition politics—uncertain.
