Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany's conservative opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and favorite to become the country's next chancellor according to polls, has attempted to explicitly distance himself and his party from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) with just weeks before voters cast election ballots.

"Nobody in this room has any doubts," Merz told DW chief political editor Michaela Kuefner when asked whether he had been able to convince voters he would not work with the AfD in the future.

"And citizens need not have any doubts either, because my message was always very clear: we are not working with that party. That wasn't the case last week, and it won't be the case this week, next week, or the week after that. We won't tolerate them, we are not holding any talks with the AfD."

The exchange took place on the sidelines of the final CDU party conference ahead of Germany's February 23 election.

Why all of the discussion about the CDU's relationship with the AfD?

Last Wednesday, the CDU appeared to break with decades of mainstream convention in German politics when it relied on AfD votes to push draft anti-immigration legislation through the lower house of Germany's parliament, the Bundestag.

The CDU also garnered votes from the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP) and the left-wing populist Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), but it was the support of the AfD, which German intelligence services have labeled "extremist" in part, that elicited gasps.

On Friday, a related proposal to limit immigrant entries to Germany was defeated, though there, too, the AfD voted in support of the CDU draft legislation. Numerous CDU parliamentarians abstained or voted against the measure in an affront to Merz. 

Mass protests over Merz and CDU's perceived recklessness

Merz's insistence on bringing the parliamentary votes saw hundreds of thousands of Germans take to the streets in cities across the country in protest to what they saw as a breach of the "firewall" — an agreement among the other parties to not work with far-right parties such as the AfD.

The taboo grew out of Germany's experience with the Nazi party and its rise to power within a democratic system.

Merz insisted the CDU had no intention of working with a party that he said wants to "destroy" his own.

"The AfD stands for the exact opposite of everything that is important to us: NATO, Western ties, the European Union, the Euro — the AfD wants out of everything," he said.

Merz distances himself from far right during DW interview

"The AfD wants to destroy the CDU. You can't seriously believe that I would have talks with those who openly declare that they want to destroy my party. There couldn't be a bigger gulf between us," Merz told DW.

Merz was openly mocked by AfD leader Alice Weidel after last week's votes, calling Friday's failed passage, "A dismantling of Friedrich Merz as candidate for chancellor. He can't be chancellor, he can't be a candidate for chancellor."

Weidel continued, saying voters had just witnessed, "the implosion of a popular establishment party," referring to CDU defectors and former Chancellor Angela Merkel's rare public rebuke of Merz and his decision to put forth motions in the knowledge that support would not come from establishment parties but rather from the far-right.

Merz tells DW that Germany can still govern with EU on Trump

Merz reiterated calls for European unity and cooperation in response to whatever economic challenges may be posed by US President Donald Trump.

"We've experienced all of this before," he told DW, referring to tariffs imposed on European steel and aluminum during Trump's first term in office, which were quickly lifted once the EU responded by slapping tariffs on American jeans, whiskey and motorcycles.

"There will be some turbulence," he said, but he predicted such turbulence would impact American consumers, too, spurring prompt "discussions" within the US.

"Donald Trump has started something that we have to solve together," said Merz.

When asked by DW's Michaela Küfner about Germany's ability to help lead the European effort, Merz voiced confidence, saying neither the looming election and nor delays in forming a new government would be an impediment.

"The Bundestag will remain able to act at any time until the new Bundestag can convene. It can even convene after the election," Merz said before shifting to the broader picture, saying, "this is more a matter for the government and above all, for the EU Commission."

"Trade policy is the business of the European Union and it is the EU Commission that is responsible for this," he said, adding, "The more united Europe is in this situation the better off we are, and the stronger we are with respect to Washington."

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar