German Chancellor Angela Merkel launches election bid by backing ban on full-face burkas
Merkel last month confirmed she would run for a fourth term but acknowledged that the election would be “more difficult” than any other she has contested
Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday lashed populists trying to exploit fears over Germany’s refugee influx but set out a tough line on integration, including a ban on the veil, as she launched into election campaign mode.
Outlining her strategy to counter a wave of populism that has consumed key allies abroad, Merkel vowed there would not be a repeat of last year’s record refugee influx.
She also stressed it was legitimate for Germany to expect newcomers to integrate, and this included rejection of the full-face veil.
The full veil must be banned wherever it is legally possible
“The full veil must be banned wherever it is legally possible,” she told the annual gathering of her centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
Next year’s polls will “not be a walk in the park” as Germany is deeply polarised, noted the German leader, but urged the population to remain “sceptical about easy answers”.
“Rarely is it the easy answers that bring progress to our country,” she said, in a clear reference to the upstart anti-Islam and populist AfD, which Merkel had previously criticised as offering no solutions to problems.
Merkel, who has led Germany for 11 years, last month confirmed she would run for a fourth term but acknowledged that the election would be “more difficult” than any other she has contested.