German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attends a session of German lower house of parliament Bundestag ahead of the general election in Berlin, Germany, February 11, 2025. REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised no collaboration between his Social Democrats (SPD) and the extreme right on Tuesday in a speech to parliament before national elections on February 23.
"Never, really never will we make common cause with the extreme right," Scholz said, accusing his conservative challenger Friedrich Merz of breaking his word on the issue.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is polling in second place, ahead of the SPD, with Merz's CDU/CSU bloc on track to win the largest vote share.
All parties have ruled out forming a coalition with the AfD, meaning that talks to form a government could drag on after the elections.
(Reporting by Rachel More, Editing by Friederike Heine)
