The AfD's honorary chairman Alexander Gauland considers Friedrich Merz's CDU to be the main opponent in the federal elections in February. "The traffic light will no longer exist in the future either way, but black-green is unfortunately still a realistic chance," said the AfD co-founder at a state party conference of the AfD Brandenburg in Prenzlau. "That's why we should remember who we owe most of the misery to: Angela Merkel and therefore the CDU." Merkel was CDU leader until 2018 and chancellor until 2021.
Ex-CDU member Gauland, who, contrary to earlier plans, wants to run again in the Bundestag elections, warned against the CDU leader with regard to the war in Ukraine: "Merz will do even more than (SPD Chancellor) Scholz to bring this war, which is not our war, closer to us." Gauland is no longer standing as the top candidate for the Brandenburg AfD after two terms in office; he wants to run in Chemnitz.
The AfD co-founder attacked the ex-president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, who wants to run for the CDU in Wuppertal and is therefore no longer in office. "What we have to think of this domestic intelligence service has just become clear again, with Mr. Haldenwang wanting to slip seamlessly from being an allegedly objective official into the role of political competitor to the AfD."
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