In a video message, Stefan Kerth, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) district administrator of Vorpommern-Rügen, is calling for an end to the infamous firewall with the Alternative for Germany (AfD). The move comes after the AfD has continuously shown it is the strongest party in the country, now at 27 percent.

“The firewall is nonsense; it has strengthened the AfD,” Kerth said in a video message, as reported by the newspaper Ostsee-Zeitung.

The firewall refers to the CDU’s policy of refusing to form any political alliance with the AfD; however, the issue is fraught within the party. Almost all top CDU politicians openly reject an alliance with the AfD, with many of them referring to the party as “right-wing extremist.” However, there are many at the local level ceiling for an end to the firewall, especially CDU officials in the east of the country, where the AfD is highly popular.

In fact, Kerth’s district is located in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where the AfD is currently polling at a record 38 percent. His CDU party, in contrast, is performing abysmally there at only 13 percent.

🇩🇪Germany's anti-immigration AfD explodes in popularity in the eastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, reaching 38%.

That is an 8 point jump.

AfD is now 2x as popular as the 2nd-place party, SPD.

CDU falls -4 points to an abysmal 13%. pic.twitter.com/fTDzLavwxJ

— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) September 25, 2025

Kerth says that instead of a firewall, the CDU and CSU should set conditions for cooperation with the AfD.

“The CDU wants more, but the firewall makes any change of course impossible,” Kerth said.

Kerth appears to be playing a strategic game, and argues that the CDU can perhaps push the AfD towards a more “moderate” stance.

“Why doesn’t the CDU at least formulate conditions—people, activities, and program points that the AfD would have to drop in exchange for cooperation?” he asks.

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Notably, Kerth points out the conundrum for the CDU, which is continuously forced to make alliances with left-wing parties, such as its current federal coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD), which is leading to a fall in popularity for the CDU.

AfD party co-leader, Alice Weidel, just yesterday posted yet another poll showing the AfD is the strongest force in the country, at 27 percent. The same poll showed that the AfD’s lead over the CDU is growing, with the CDU dropping to 24 percent.

“AfD remains the strongest force with 27%, now leading CDU and CSU by 3 percentage points – and Merz’s popularity is at its lowest point. Real change is only possible with us!” she wrote.

AfD weiterhin stärkste Kraft mit 27 %, mit inzwischen 3 Prozentpunkten Abstand zu CDU und CSU – und Merz' Beliebtheit auf dem Tiefpunkt. Echte Veränderung gibt es nur mit uns! pic.twitter.com/VvNPasM7ZX

— Alice Weidel (@Alice_Weidel) September 30, 2025

Kerth said his party must open itself to coalitions and political cooperation beyond the left-wing parties before it is too late.

“Better now, while it can still set the tone,” he said, recognizing the ongoing damage to the CDU.

Kerth has a past with the SPD, but switched to the CDU in 2023 due to his stance on migration. He has said that a change on migration is not possible without a coalition with the AfD, adding that there has been a “loss of control” since 2015, with the left-wing parties trivializing the resulting chaos since that period.

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Kerth also said the presence of the AfD in government would be normal, as most other countries often feature such a party in government.

“Right around us, strongly nationalist, right-wing parties are occasionally in government. And the end of the world doesn’t happen! And Germany, of all places, which is sensitive to history, is supposed to rush straight back into the Third Reich without a firewall? I don’t believe that anymore,” he said.

It should be noted that Kerth is not a high-ranking politician in the CDU, and his view is most likely to be rejected at the federal level, at least for now. However, he joins a chorus of CDU voices in the east of the country calling for an end to the firewall.

Most analysts expect that if the firewall is broken, it will first be broken in the east of the country before it is ever possible to do so at the federal level.

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