German politician resigns over far-right ties

Robert Möritz, a local politician from the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt, surprisingly announced his resignation from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on Friday, saying he wanted “to shield the party from further harm” and calm the political uproar. It recently emerged that Möritz had ties to Germany’s right-wing extremist milieu, and has a symbol tattooed on his arm associated with neo-Nazism. Möritz said his resignation was about sending a signal, and that “sometimes, life is about focusing on one’s true priorities.” He added that he nevertheless fully subscribes to the conservative CDU’s values.

News of Möritz’ links to Germany’s far-right milieu had brought Saxony-Anhalt’s government — a coalition between the CDU, center-left Social Democrats and environmentalist Greens — to the verge of collapse. On Thursday, the state’s CDU issued an ultimatum to Möritz, demanding that he distance himself from the far-right or face repercussions.

Via DW