Friedrich Merz’s expected confirmation as Germany’s next leader this week will take place in the shadow of a row about whether to ban the rival far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party after it was formally classified as “extremist” by the country’s intelligence services.
Merz, 69, a multimillionaire former corporate lawyer, is set to be elected as chancellor by parliament on Tuesday after his centre-right Christian Democrat Union (CDU) agreed on a “grand coalition” with the Social Democrats following weeks of detailed negotiations.
The Nazis are in charge.
