Ex-chancellor Merkel scolded by German court for political comments

Germany's long-time former chancellor, Angela Merkel, was reprimanded by a top court on Wednesday for overstepping the mark when it came to criticizing her political opponents.

Merkel had violated the principle of equal opportunity of the parties in her remarks about the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, the judges at the Constitutional Court ruled.

The court case goes back to February 2020, when the regional parliament in the central state of Thuringia chose a liberal politician as its state premier.

The premier in question, Thomas Kemmerich, was elected with the votes of three parties: his own Free Democrats (FDP), Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and - most controversially - the AfD.

The fact that the CDU had effectively joined forces with the AfD to elect a state premier generated a political shock wave in Germany, where the anti-migrant AfD is all but excluded from power at state and federal level, despite being present in all legislatures.

Other mainstream parties before and since the Thuringia vote have refused to work with or form coalitions with the AfD.

In light of this, Merkel said shortly after Kemmerich's election that the outcome of the Thuringia vote was "unforgivable and therefore must be reversed." It was a "bad day for democracy," she said.

Amid the political uproar about his election, Kemmerich resigned three days later. A left-wing state premier, Bodo Ramelow, was elected the following month.

By then, the AfD had announced legal action against Merkel, accusing her of coercing Kemmerich into resigning - which resulted in Wednesday's ruling.

The judges noted that while individual politicians could express criticism of other parties, those in government roles had to respect a principle of neutrality. Merkel had made the comments in her official capacity, the judges found.

Merkel's chief of staff had argued in the trial that Merkel had been pressed for a reaction by her then coalition partners in government and by journalists, and that Germany's international reputation was at stake.

Shortly after the court announcement, the AfD echoed Merkel's words from 2020 by saying the ruling marked a "good day for democracy."

Although much time had passed since the ruling, the AfD would "continue to fight for basic rights and for respect for the constitution," AfD leader Tino Chrupallah said.

The court did not demand any further action from Merkel in the affair.

Merkel's spokesman released the following statement: "Former chancellor Doctor Angela Merkel of course respects the decision of the Constitutional Court."