Schilling vs. Strache

“Merz fell over lying down after the result”

(Bild: krone.tv )

Is Europe moving further to the right after the German elections? What about the current three-party coalition? And how can Europe become an economic power again? Jana Pasching discusses these topics in a debate with MEP Lena Schilling and former FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache.

"Friedrich Merz fell over lying down on the very evening after the election result," says Heinz-Christian Strache, who sees the AfD clearly gaining strength in the opposition. "How does the CDU, with Mr. Merz, intend to implement the content for which they were elected with the SPD and the Greens?" It is only a matter of time before the next German general election, when the AfD will gain from 20 to 30 percent if the CDU disappoints its voters.

Holocaust described as a fly in the ointment
The reasons for the AfD's success are certainly the frustration of many people, says Lena Schilling. "This is a call to action for all other parties." Nevertheless, you have to leave the church in the village. "Yes, 20 percent is a lot. But it also means that 80 percent voted for a different party." Moving further to the right is not the solution. "A leading politician in the AfD, who is important, has described the Holocaust as a fly in the ointment. It is the trivialization of our history. That's what makes me so angry, it's the defamation of groups of people, quite deliberately."

"The logical thing would be to say there will be new elections"
The current government negotiations and the internal disagreements, for example within the NEOS, have now become cabaret, according to Strache. "It would actually be logical to say there will be new elections." There is also the danger of being the third party to go under. Schilling: "There are so many major challenges. It would be so important to be able to act, to tackle the issues, to take care of affordable energy, to ensure that we make progress in the key areas." She hopes that the NEOS will pull themselves together at the general assembly and make a decision in favor of a government.