CDU leader Friedrich Merz has sharply criticized the AfD, labeling it as "characterized by deeply entrenched cronyism and nepotism" due to alleged family employment scandals. Speaking to the Neue Berliner Redaktionsgesellschaft and Rheinpfalz, Merz urged the CDU to not only challenge the AfD on policy but also to dismantle its image as a party of integrity. He attributed some of the AfD's success to the CDU's past failure to adequately address issues like migration. Merz reiterated his firm stance against any cooperation with the AfD, deeming the election of an AfD Minister-President with CDU votes "unthinkable." In response to the nepotism allegations, Merz indicated a potential need for new legislation to prevent politicians from enriching themselves, a sentiment echoed by SPD and CDU politicians seeking to tighten parliamentary rules. The scandals involve the hiring of relatives by AfD parliamentarians, with the Saxony-Anhalt state chapter particularly affected, and similar accusations surfacing at the federal level.