Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) addressed the debate over the so-called firewall against the AfD in a video posted on his social media channels on Saturday. According to the Tagesspiegel, Scholz called public criticism of the demarcation from the AfD “disturbing.” He urged keeping the party away from power, saying: “With the AfD, no state can be made – certainly not a democratic state in the sense of our Basic Law.”
The video was released on the 77th anniversary of the proclamation of the Basic Law. Scholz emphasized that the constitution has guaranteed “the most liberal order that Germany has ever had” since 1949. He called on citizens to protect and defend democracy. At the same time, he criticized demands that the CDU and CSU should form a minority government dependent on AfD support – calling that also disturbing.
The statement comes against the backdrop of a proposal by former Schleswig-Holstein politician Torsten Albig (SPD). Albig had recommended that the SPD consider minority governments tolerated by the AfD, similar to the model in Denmark. Scholz did not directly refer to Albig in his video. Just over a week ago, Scholz had expressed similar views in a guest article for the weekly newspaper Die Zeit.
EuroPulse reported on May 23, 2026, about Olaf Scholz’s planned leadership of a new North-South Commission (https://europulse.today/olaf-scholz-chef-nord-sued-kommission/).
Source: www.tagesspiegel.de
