Merz and Weidel clash in Bundestag after AfD's Saxony-Anhalt win

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and AfD co-leader Alice Weidel clashed in the Bundestag on Wednesday, days after the far-right party won the Saxony-Anhalt state election with 43.8% of the vote but fell short of an absolute majority. Merz attacked the AfD's migration policy, calling its "remigration" concept "nothing other than ethnic cleansing based on skin color and origin," and warned the party would never achieve broader majorities in Germany. He also accused the AfD of damaging German interests through its friendly stance toward Russia. The AfD has said it would cooperate with other parties only if its candidate Ulrich Siegmund becomes state premier, potentially seeking support from the left-wing BSW party, while the CDU maintains its "firewall" against working with the far right.