It is a question that comes up a lot in German society. But so far, Friedrich Merz and his CDU have remained largely silent on the subject. That changed on Monday, when Hendrik Wüst, minister-president of North Rhine-Westphalia, whom many see as a favourite to replace Merz as chancellor, said the government should make serious work of examining whether to ban the AfD.

The German chancellor rules out working with the AfD even though he concedes its win in Saxony-Anhalt has upset his party’s foundations.

Recent exit polls indicate that the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is poised to take the lead in the Saxony-Anhalt regional election. This could pave the way for the first…