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German Right-Wing AfD Party Against Coalition With Merkel's CDU

© AP Photo / Michael ProbstGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel walks past the party logo during a party convention of the Christian Democrats (CDU) in Karlsruhe, Germany, December 14, 2015.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel walks past the party logo during a party convention of the Christian Democrats (CDU) in Karlsruhe, Germany, December 14, 2015. - Sputnik International
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The deputy chairman of Germany’s right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD) told Sputnik he was against a coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — During the September state parliamentary election in Berlin, the AfD won 25 seats, becoming the fifth in popularity among voters. The grand coalition involving three major parties was considered a major option, while AfD was not invited to join government.

Alexander Gauland - Sputnik International
Senior Member of German Right-Wing Party Denies Claims of Ties to Kremlin

"Of course I am not [in favor of the coalition]. One can think about coalitions with someone else if one has a certain strength and the opportunity to talk with a partner on an equal footing… Such action would be a mistake, we know that from the history of the Federal Republic of Germany, when the small parties, who joined the CDU too early, lost their political importance and now appear in the history books as booknotes only," Alexander Gauland said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel gestures during a meeting of the lower house of parliament Bundestag on 2017 budget in Berlin, Germany, September 6, 2016. - Sputnik International
Germany Split Over Chancellor's Migrant Policy - Right-Wing AfD Party

AfD was founded in February 2013 to protest against Germany’s handling of the Eurozone crisis, in particular the decision to bail out Greece, but later on, following the migrants crisis in Europe, the party focused more on providing harsh opposition to Merkel's liberal refugee policy and became well-known for its anti-Islam stance.

Despite accusations of xenophobia, AfD has been making gains at local elections across Germany, beating Merkel’s party CDU into third place in her home state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

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