Angela Merkel calls for defense of democracy following AfD success

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has issued a call to action for citizens to defend democracy and freedom. Speaking to approximately 1,200 people in Peenemünde, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Merkel read excerpts from her autobiography, ‘Freiheit’ (Freedom).

Her remarks follow a significant electoral success by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which recently secured 43.8 percent of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt. Merkel warned that democratic parties must work together and engage collectively to protect democratic institutions against those who threaten them.

During her 90-minute reading, Merkel addressed controversial aspects of her tenure, including the 2015 refugee crisis and her handling of the Eurozone crisis. She acknowledged that these decisions provided political momentum to the AfD. However, she cautioned against abandoning core democratic principles—such as European unity, freedom of movement, and human dignity—in an attempt to marginalize the far-right party.