Election warning from Merz to the USA
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reacted to the US's new million-dollar fund program aimed at supporting nationalist parties in Europe. Merz, who made a statement in Berlin, emphasized that he did not want the US government or government-linked organizations to intervene in the elections in Germany.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz opposed the new million-dollar fund program implemented by the US President Donald Trump administration to support "freedom of _expression_ and religious freedoms" in Europe.
The funding support in question coincides with the period when the US attempts to support nationalist parties in Europe within the scope of the National Security Strategy, as well as the growing ties between the Trump administration and the European far right, including the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Answering the question of journalists in Berlin whether they see this initiative as a valid advocacy activity or a political intervention, Merz said, “We do not interfere in American elections, we have always adhered to this principle. In return, I don't want the American government or government-related institutions to intervene in the German elections," he said.
The US State Department launched a funding program worth nearly $5 million in Europe on Monday to “empower and develop democratic resilience, the rule of law, freedom of _expression_ and the press, and the protection of human rights.”
In the program statement, it was stated that the beneficiaries should “focus on the issues of national sovereignty, migration, censorship and legal war in line with the common political philosophy, law and the heritage of common Western civilization”.
First, within the scope of the program announced by the Financial Times newspaper, a grant of up to 3 million dollars will be given to individual applicants.
Although political parties are clearly not among the potential beneficiaries in the call for applications, conservative leader Merz pointed out that it is illegal to provide financial support from abroad to political actors in Germany.
Merz said, "It is illegal to finance political parties from abroad in Germany. I expect our friends around the world to comply with these legal rules, especially in Germany," he added.
An unnamed US State Department spokesman also told Politico that Merz's statements and the question of whether the program would support civil society organizations linked to far-right parties in Europe, such as the AfD.
The spokesperson said, "The Trump administration continues its determination to defend democracy and human rights throughout the world, including Europe."
The spokesperson also said, "Our programs in Europe aim to support our European allies to defend these rights and principles, as well as to maintain their civilization self-confidence and sovereignty against those who want to undermine them."
Senior US State Department officials have denied allegations that they have interfered in European politics, despite previously meeting with Europe's far-right politicians, including the AfD.
The AfD, which ranked first in the polls conducted at the federal level, seems to have the chance to come to power at the local level for the first time in the regional elections to be held in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany in September.
Early in Trump's second term, the far-right party welcomed the messages of support of tech entrepreneur and Trump supporter Elon Musk, praising US Vice President JD Vance's criticism of Europe's protection walls against the extreme right at last year's Munich Security Conference.
On the other hand, the party administration has distanced itself from the MAGA (Make America Again) movement in recent months, at least in public, before the state elections to be held in its fortresses on the borders of the former East Germany in September, due to urgent political realities in the region.
In a broader framework, it is seen that the new fund program specifically targets the European Union's attempts to audit major US-based technology companies.
“Surpranational institutions and governments suppress and punish political participation through extremely broad and vague hate speech laws and online content regulations, while using state power to undermine the basic principles of democratic self-government,” the fund call says.