AfD outlines terms to back potential CDU/CSU minority government in Germany
An internal strategy paper drafted by deputy leader Sebastian Münzenmaier sets conditions for supporting a CDU/CSU minority administration, demanding committee chairs, nuclear energy revival, and welfare cuts.
Leadership discussions in Berlin
The leadership of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) parliamentary group in the Bundestag has outlined conditions for potentially backing a minority government led by the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU). The scenario addresses the potential collapse of the governing federal coalition between the Union and the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Bernd Baumann, the First Parliamentary Secretary of the AfD parliamentary group, confirmed to reporters in Berlin on Tuesday that the faction board discussed the contingency during its meeting on Monday. Baumann stated that preparing for different political scenarios is routine practice, noting that no formal decisions were adopted by the board during the session.
- Sebastian Münzenmaier drafts internal AfD strategy paper on minority government options
- AfD parliamentary group leadership discusses minority government scenarios in Berlin
- Details of the internal strategy document and leadership discussions are reported publicly
Three strategic paths
The discussions center on a debate paper dated 15 September 2026, authored by deputy parliamentary group leader Sebastian Münzenmaier, who also serves as the party chairman in Rhineland-Palatinate. The paper sets out three options for how the AfD could approach a CDU/CSU minority cabinet. The first option entails refusing all cooperation and demanding immediate snap federal elections, though the paper notes this could expose the party to accusations of avoiding legislative responsibility. The second path proposes selective, case-by-case cooperation exclusively on bills that align with the AfD platform while still pressing for new elections. The third option outlines position-dependent cooperation accompanied by a legislative offensive in policy areas with substantial common ground, which the document states would require a formal written toleration agreement.
Support from the AfD parliamentary group for a minority government is not given for free, we are not a mere stirrup holder. Cooperation requires equal treatment.
Institutional demands and policy conditions
To secure its backing under a cooperative scenario, the AfD paper establishes several specific institutional and policy requirements. Administratively, the party demands the election of an AfD lawmaker as a Vice President of the Bundestag, the assignment of committee chairmanships, and the handover of the parliamentary meeting room currently occupied by the SPD group. The document also calls for deeper AfD involvement in parliamentary deliberations to end what it terms unequal treatment. On the legislative front, the paper identifies shared policy priorities where the AfD envisions joint initiatives with the Union. These include tightening German citizenship regulations, abolishing dual citizenship, resuming the use of nuclear energy, and eliminating citizen income benefits for Ukrainian refugees residing in Germany.
Union responses and parliamentary dynamics
The prospect of a minority administration has drawn explicit pushback from senior figures within the CDU and CSU leadership. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated a week before the AfD paper surfaced that he saw little value in speculating about governing without a formal coalition majority. Thorsten Frei, the parliamentary group leader for the CDU/CSU, directly rejected the concept during an interview with Der Spiegel.
A minority government would be madness. It is an illusion to believe we could seek our majority now on the left, now on the right.
Despite the Union's public stance, Baumann maintained that short-term legislative maneuvering remains a viable pathway for the AfD as long as the current parliamentary arithmetic prevents the opposition from triggering immediate elections.
