German Feuds 'Pushing Voters to Far-Right'
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BERLIN: Disputes between Germany's two ruling conservative parties
over the migrant crisis are jeopardising the government's ability to
take control and pushing people towards far-Right parties, the
vice-chancellor has warned.
Sigmar Gabriel, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the junior partner in the coalition government, has criticised infighting over the migrant influx as "irresponsible" following frequent clashes between Angela Merkel and Horst Seehofer.
The German chancellor, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has angered Mr Seehofer, who heads the Christian Social Union (CSU), with her open-door policy and repeated claims that Germany can cope with the estimated 800,000 to one million asylum applications it expects by the end of this year. Mr Gabriel said that strife between the conservative parties was creating even more uncertainty in Germany as fears grow that the country cannot cope with the new arrivals.
"This form of blackmail and insults from both sides is undignified and simply irresponsible," he told Spiegel
Online yesterday (Friday). Mr Seehofer, whose state of Bavaria is the entry point for many of the migrants, has threatened unspecified consequences if Mrs Merkel does not take concrete steps to stem the flow of thousands of refugees. He warned that the existence of the conservative bloc was at stake if she did not "correct" her asylum policy.
Mr Gabriel added: "The longer the dispute in the conservative bloc lasts, the more people will turn away from politics and the more ground the Right-wing radicals will gain."
Recent opinion polls have shown the Right-wing anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) gaining support.
Sigmar Gabriel, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the junior partner in the coalition government, has criticised infighting over the migrant influx as "irresponsible" following frequent clashes between Angela Merkel and Horst Seehofer.
The German chancellor, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has angered Mr Seehofer, who heads the Christian Social Union (CSU), with her open-door policy and repeated claims that Germany can cope with the estimated 800,000 to one million asylum applications it expects by the end of this year. Mr Gabriel said that strife between the conservative parties was creating even more uncertainty in Germany as fears grow that the country cannot cope with the new arrivals.
"This form of blackmail and insults from both sides is undignified and simply irresponsible," he told Spiegel
Online yesterday (Friday). Mr Seehofer, whose state of Bavaria is the entry point for many of the migrants, has threatened unspecified consequences if Mrs Merkel does not take concrete steps to stem the flow of thousands of refugees. He warned that the existence of the conservative bloc was at stake if she did not "correct" her asylum policy.
Mr Gabriel added: "The longer the dispute in the conservative bloc lasts, the more people will turn away from politics and the more ground the Right-wing radicals will gain."
Recent opinion polls have shown the Right-wing anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) gaining support.
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