Ex-German judge calls for end to AfD 'firewall' strategy amid rising support
BERLIN – Peter Müller, the former minister-president of Saarland and ex-judge on Germany's Federal Constitutional Court, has called for an end to the debate over the so-called firewall against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). "The 'firewall' has long been eroded in parliamentary reality," the Christian Democrat wrote in a column for Süddeutsche Zeitung, pointing to multiple instances in which other parties have already voted alongside the AfD.
"Without question, deliberate cooperation or even coalitions with a radicalizing AfD must be ruled out," Müller acknowledged. "But this should not lead parties to refrain from advocating positions they believe are correct simply because the AfD shares them. That only benefits the AfD."
The 70-year-old also urged established parties to stop marginalizing the AfD in parliamentary procedures. He cited the example of the CDU and SPD in Rhineland-Palatinate, where lawmakers sought to raise the threshold for establishing investigative committees—a move designed to prevent the AfD from setting up such bodies. "The impression of unfair treatment toward duly elected representatives often does more harm than good."
Müller further argued that the debate over banning the party must cease. "Prohibition proceedings are protracted and allow the AfD to cast itself as a martyr. Moreover, success is not guaranteed—just look at the Cologne Administrative Court's recent suspension of its nationwide classification as 'confirmed far-right.'"
Ultimately, he said, other parties must govern effectively and address gaps in representation. "This is especially true for migration and security policy. The claim that anyone raising these issues is pandering to far-right narratives is a fallacious argument that only cedes leadership on questions deeply concerning many people to the AfD."
Lessons from abroad
Müller noted that several right-wing politicians in Europe have suffered recent defeats, including Viktor Orbán in Hungary and Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, while the AfD continues to gain momentum. "This underscores the urgent need for a change in strategy—one that recognizes successful candidates in the Netherlands and Hungary placed the concrete concerns and hardships of citizens at the center of their campaigns."
Peter Müller served as minister-president of Saarland from 1999 to 2011 and as a judge on the Federal Constitutional Court from 2011 to 2023.
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