BERLIN (Sputnik) —The German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she was not afraid of a possible investigation into her migration policy by the right-wing Alternative for Germany party.
“I am not afraid of an investigation within the framework of any committee,” Merkel told the ARD broadcaster on Sunday as preliminary outcome.
On Friday, AfD parliament’s candidate Waldemar Birkle told Sputnik that his party intended, once elected to the Bundestag, to launch a parliamentary commission to investigate Merkel’s decision to open borders in 2015, without seeking approval from the Bundestag.
— Ruptly (@Ruptly) 24 сентября 2017 г.
Merkel also called the results of exit polls, showing that the eurosceptic AfD party is likely to enter the German parliament, "a great challenge" and vowed to fight for the votes of AfD supporters.
"Of course, we are facing a great challenge — Alternative for Germany's entering the German Bundestag. We will carry out a thorough analysis because we want to fight back the AfD voters by solving their problems, responding to their concerns and partially fears but, primarily, with the good political course," Merkel said, commenting on the parliamentary elections' results.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people are rallying in central Berlin against the political breakthrough of AfD party following the preliminary outcome of the federal elections.
Es werden mehr Demonstranten. Jetzt vielleicht 2.000. #afd #wahlparty #alex #berlin pic.twitter.com/NshxOoZudE
— Bernd Grossheim (@bgmosk) 24 сентября 2017 г.
— th1an1 (@th1an1) 24 сентября 2017 г.
#btw17: Antifa protest against the far-right AfD, after exit polls predict they could enter parliament
FOLLOW LIVE: https://t.co/DT3I3SrDM0 pic.twitter.com/YnWBib1bN0— Ruptly (@Ruptly) 24 сентября 2017 г.
The rallies against AfD took place also in Frankfurt and in Cologne gathering hundreds of protesters that have marched through the streets as local media reported on Sunday.
Meantime, Incumbent German Chancellor Angela Merkel is likely to remain in office after the Sunday’s parliamentary election, as the recent outcome of exit polls showed.
According to the ZDF's broadcaster exit poll Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) got 33.5 percent,. The ARD's exit polls show the CDU/CSU at 32.5 percent, the worst result for the conservative bloc since 1949.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) led by former EU Parliament President and Merkel's key rival Martin Schulz stands at 21 percent, according to ZDF, or at 20 percent, according to ARD.
The AfD right-wing political party for the first time has won seats in the country’s parliament of Bundestag and has secured the third place in the election by generating 13,5 percent of the votes, as an exit poll of the ARD broadcaster showed on Sunday.
AfD, founded merely in 2013 by the group economists and academics, has been steadily gaining popularity among Germans since the outbreak of the migrant crisis in 2015. However, the right-wing party failed to secure enough seats in German parliament last elections four years ago due to the lack of support and countrywide criticism for its harsh rhetoriсs focused considerably on Merkel's controversial migration policy.
If the preliminary polls are correct then AfD is likely to get between 60 and 88 seats in Bundestag making it the first time a right-wing party has sat in German parliament since 1961.