Mainstream politicians target far-right candidates in hot German election debate

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Co-leaders of Germany’s far-right alternatives praised Donald Trump as the “right person” to end the Ukrainian war and urged her country to remain “neutral mediators in a fierce four-way television debate ”Next Sunday.

Europe’s largest country is entering its final week of campaign as it struggles to cope with a stagnant economy, a strong immigration debate and a rapidly declining transatlantic relations over the new Trump administration under the new Trump administration The government has publicly supported the AFD.

During a two-hour primetime performance, AFD candidate Alice Weidel became Social Democratic Prime Minister Olaf Scholz, Greens candidate Robert Habeck and The main goal of Christian Democratic leader Friedrich Merz. They faced far-right politicians one by one, including the Ukrainian war and her party’s connection to Nazi ideology.

Weidel boasted about the support she received from U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who met her on the weekend with a watchful eye of the annual Munich Security Conference. The 46-year-old politician welcomed Vance to address the conference participants, urging mainstream European politicians to interact with the far-right, anti-established parties.

“Vance admits that you can’t create a firewall from the start to rule out millions of voters. He made it clear that we need to talk to each other,” Weidel said.

Weidel’s party is expected to win 20% of the vote on February 23, and has seized U.S. support since Trump returned to the White House.

Elon Musk, the richest man in the world and close adviser to Trump, repeatedly used his X social media company to promote AFD, a party to German intelligence agencies suspected of right-wing extremism. Weidel was also hosted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest, who described her as the “future.”

Enjoying Saltz’s Vance’s latest support in Munich has sparked anger from mature German parties that have all refused to join the coalition with the AFD. This anger often poured into the Open during Sunday’s debate.

Merz’s CDU party is expected to win the election with about 30% of the vote and accused Weidel of German men and women of being able to call Nazis without penalty.” Höcke intentionally used Nazi slogans last year Convicted.

“We have a good tradition in Germany that includes learning courses from the experience of national socialism,” Scholz also told Weidel. “No cooperation with extreme rights.”

“I found this kind of scandal,” the far-right candidate replied. “Look, you can insult me ​​here tonight. You are insulting millions of voters.”

Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference and Trump’s move to negotiate a peaceful and peaceful move with Vladimir Putin without consulting Kiev and its European allies is imminent in advance.

Candidates compete for how to fund billions of dollars in additional defense spending and the thorny issue of sending troops to Ukraine, part of security assurance after the solution – a theme that will be held on Monday by French President Emmanuel Mark Discussions were held at a meeting held by Emmanuel Macron. .

“What has happened in recent weeks and the Munich security conference cannot be taken seriously enough because the Trump administration is launching a frontal lobe attack on Western value communities,” Habeck said.

Melz criticized Scholz for having French leaders coordinate the EU’s response to Trump’s negotiations with Putin. He also accused the Prime Minister of his SPD party of lagging third with 15% of the forecast vote, retaining military aid to Ukraine for political reasons.

But throughout the debate, covering a wide range of topics including immigration and the economy, has been the leader in becoming the prime minister’s most pointed criticism of Weidel.

He responded to her suggestion that Germany should not take a place in the conflict, saying, “No, we are not neutral, we are not in between. We are on the side of Ukraine, together with Ukraine, we are defending The political order we have here.”