CDU New Leader Unlikely To Change Merkel's Migration Policy Despite Announced Pledge - AfD

The new leader of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is unlikely to make any changes in the German migration policy despite her pledge to make it the core of the party's 2019 campaign for the European Parliament elections, Dr. Roland Hartwig, the vice-chairman of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's parliamentary group in the Bundestag, told Sputnik on Tuesday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th December, 2018) The new leader of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is unlikely to make any changes in the German migration policy despite her pledge to make it the core of the party's 2019 campaign for the European Parliament elections, Dr. Roland Hartwig, the vice-chairman of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's parliamentary group in the Bundestag, told Sputnik on Tuesday.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who was elected to succeed German Chancellor Angela Merkel as party leader last week, said on Sunday that she intended to review the country's migration policies, adding that the party's campaign during the 2019 European Parliament elections would be based on these potential changes.

"Mrs. Kramp-Karrenbauer has been Chancellor Merkel's preferred candidate to become the new leader of the CDU party. She also expects to succeed to Merkel as Chancellor in the next years. Therefore she will certainly not oppose any major positions regarding the immigration policy taken by Merkel," Hartwig said.

The lawmaker noted that any changes on German migration policy were especially unlikely given the fact that the CDU approved the UN Global Compact for Migration, which has been heavily supported by Merkel, last week.

The lawmaker said he believed that right-wing parties, including AfD, would be very successful at the upcoming European Parliament elections and lead to a shift in migration policy.

"I expect significant changes of the migration policy in many European countries after the and as a result of the elections to the European Parliament," Hartwig said.

Dr. Hartwig highlighted that the only way for the CDU party to be successful in the upcoming elections to the European Parliament would be to close German borders to prevent illegal migration, but the German ruling party was unlikely to do this.

"They will for sure not take such a position in the upcoming election campaign," Dr. Hartwig said.

The European Parliament election is scheduled for May 23-26.