The German chancellor, Olaf Scholzopened the second day of the Munich security conference With a hard response to the Vice President of the United States, JD Vancerejecting his invitation to collaborate with the nationalists of AFD As an interference in an election campaign now running out.
In an intervention often interrupted by shrewd applause, Scholz he made his debut thanking Vance for his visit to the concentration camp of Dachau and for his appeal so that such tragedies “never take place again”, but then denounced “The incompatibility” of the condemnation of Nazism with the support of a political formation that is linked to that past.
The political context and the Vance meetings
When eight days are missing at Political elections in Germany, Vancereturned already last night in the USAa Monk did not meet Scholzbut he had talks with his conservative opponent, the president of the Cdu Friedrich Merz And above all, with the leader of AFD, Alice Weidelexcluded, as well as the «Rossobruna» Sahra Wagenknechtfrom an event that sees the participation of two other Cancellieri candidates: green Robert Habeck and the liberal Christian Lindnerbut it will not speak from the stage.
The face to face between Vance and Weidelwho had already enjoyed theElon Musk endorsementis for Scholz more than an interference: it is a real face to the political identity of the Postbellic Germany.
Scholz: “We decide the future of our democracy”
“We will not accept that strangers intervene in our democracy, in our elections, in the democratic training of opinion in favor of this party”, he thundered Scholz. «This is not appropriate, especially among friends and allies, and we firmly reject it. It is we who decide the future of our democracy».
“Nobody from abroad can come to tell us to collaborate with AFDespecially looking at the past of our nation, “continued the chancellor, who claimed the need for ‘Brandmauer’the health cordon built by other parties to exclude AFD from positions of political responsibility. A “Wall of fire” that yesterday Vance He explicitly asked to break down.
There Germany He doesn’t want to hear fromAmerica lessons not even on freedom of expressionwhich cannot protect the manifestations of hatred.
The Ukrainian knot and Vance’s statements
As for theUkraine, Berlin reiterates that a negotiation that excludes from the table is not acceptable Kiev and theEuropeas well as “unacceptable” It was the intervention pronounced yesterday by Vance. A speech that the chancellor invited to “Don’t minimize”in what seems an indirect response to the Secretary General of the Born, Mark Ruttewho yesterday defined it, to the microphones of the Cnna “Philosophical speech”.
European defense and the political future of Scholz
Scholz it was less direct in commenting on the proposal of Ursula von der leyen one Scorpor of defense expenses from the EU stability pact. However, he opened to a discussion on the subject and promised one derogation from the limits envisaged by the German Constitution for military expenses, if it is re -elected.
A re -election that the director of theEconomist, Zanny Minton Beddoesdefined “unlikely” interviewing it.
“You had also said it last time and I won,” he replied Scholz with a smile.