A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
What started as a motion to do more to restrict immigration to Germany has now become something bigger.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
It has erupted into a fierce national debate over the degree to which the country should allow its most extreme political elements into mainstream politics. And at the center of this debate is the man who is the front-runner to become Germany's next chancellor.
MARTÍNEZ: NPR's Berlin correspondent Rob Schmitz joins us to discuss this. So set the scene for us, Rob. How did all this start?
ROB SCHMITZ, BYLINE: So this all started with a parliamentary motion to restrict immigration from Friedrich Merz. He's the head of the Christian Democratic Union, a center-right party that's ahead in the polls and will likely win the most votes in Germany's election next month. And that means Merz will likely be Germany's next chancellor.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. So what did he do in parliament this week?
SCHMITZ: Well, he brought forth a motion to further restrict immigration to Germany, and this comes on the heels of recent deadly attacks committed by migrants. Now, on the face of it, there was nothing off about Merz's motion in parliament about this, but it was how he was going to pass this motion that really upset much of parliament and many Germans.
MARTÍNEZ: Upset. So what was so upsetting to lawmakers about that?
SCHMITZ: Well, none of the mainstream parties were interested in voting with Merz's party on this proposal, but there was one party that was very keen to join him, and that's the AfD - the Alternative for Germany party - which is considered by Germany's political establishment as an extremist right-wing party. The AfD has advocated deporting all Germans with a migration background. Some of its members use Nazi slogans, and the party is under domestic surveillance for the threat that it poses to Germany's democracy.
MARTÍNEZ: So, Rob, just a guess here, but because of Germany's history in World War II, I'd imagine that a party like AfD is probably worrying a lot of people.
SCHMITZ: Yeah, that's right. And since World War II, there's been a consensus among Germany's mainstream political parties that extremist parties must never be allowed in government again. And when the AfD first gained popularity a decade ago, Merz's party and Germany's other mainstream parties made a pact to never cooperate with the AfD. This was called the firewall. But now Merz is signaling that he's open to cooperating with AfD on this immigration motion. And here's how he defended his decision.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
FRIEDRICH MERZ: (Speaking German).
SCHMITZ: And, A, he's saying here that the right decision does not become wrong because the wrong people have made it. The decision, he said, is still right.
MARTÍNEZ: OK. How are other mainstream parties responding to all this?
SCHMITZ: Lots of anger. As Merz defended himself, a yelling match began in parliament, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz finally took the podium. Here's what he said.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
CHANCELLOR OLAF SCHOLZ: (Speaking German).
SCHMITZ: Scholz said that three weeks ago, Merz promised never to cooperate with AfD, and voters trusted him. "What are these words worth now?" He asked. Former chancellor, Angela Merkel, who's in the same party as Merz, also has criticized him for doing this.
MARTÍNEZ: Any indication of why Merz did this?
SCHMITZ: Well, there is an election in a few weeks, and it's possible Merz is cooperating with the AfD on immigration because, up to now, the AfD has owned this issue, and it's led to high poll numbers. They're now in second place, and Elon Musk has recently come out to support them. So the logic goes, if Merz's party can steal some of that spotlight, perhaps he can chip into that support and take some of those voters to his party. But many are blaming him for playing a dangerous game with Germany's democracy on this.
MARTÍNEZ: That's NPR's Berlin correspondent Rob Schmitz. Rob, thanks.
SCHMITZ: Thanks. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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