AfD leader declares Germany "de facto bankrupt" under Chancellor Merz

Germany is effectively bankrupt due to the irresponsible financial policies of the current government led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, said Alice Weidel, the federal co-leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) opposition party.

"Germany is de facto bankrupt. Germany is broke," Weidel said at a press conference in Berlin, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

Weidel pointed to rising costs of servicing Germany’s public debt and warned that the country could soon lose its top credit rating.

"The rating agencies are saying very clearly that we will lose our AAA rating if this federal government continues to act as irresponsibly as it has so far," she stressed.

The AfD co-chair said the country’s financial difficulties were the result of what she called the “irresponsible policy” of the federal government, which she accused of acting against Germany’s interests.

Earlier in September, Germany’s Federal Court of Auditors forecast a sharp increase in the share of federal budget spending allocated to servicing the country’s debt, from 5.8% currently to 12.7% by 2030. The authority also warned that Germany’s public debt could grow faster than the country’s GDP.

In March 2025, Germany’s parliament approved a constitutional amendment that significantly eased restrictions on government borrowing under the country’s debt brake. The reform was justified by the need to increase spending on defence and infrastructure.

By Vafa Guliyeva