Merz accuses AfD of 'ethnic cleansing' policies in heated Bundestag clash

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused the far-right AfD party of pursuing policies resembling "ethnic cleansing" during a heated parliamentary session on Wednesday, three days after the party's record election win in Saxony-Anhalt. Merz sharply criticized the AfD's migration platform, including its proposed "deportation and remigration offensive" and its stance on Islam, while also accusing the party of undermining German interests through pro-Russia positions. The chancellor's speech was repeatedly disrupted by AfD lawmakers, prompting parliamentary president Julia Klöckner to intervene. The confrontation followed the AfD's victory in Saxony-Anhalt, where it won 43.8 percent of the vote while the CDU's support halved. The AfD's state program includes ending refugee status for Ukrainians, resuming Russian gas imports, and abolishing the right to asylum.