German chancellor accuses far-right AfD party of seeking ‘ethnic cleansing’
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the far‑right Alternative for Germany (AfD), alleging the party aims at ethnic cleansing and is fracturing society. His remarks followed the AfD’s strong performance in the Saxony‑Anhalt state election, where it secured close to 44% of the vote, marking a significant gain for the party. He warned that such results could destabilize democratic norms.