Germany’s Bundestag opened its annual general debate on 9 July, the traditional highlight of budget week and the first such session for Chancellor Friedrich Merz since he took office just over two months ago. AfD co-chair Alice Weidel, speaking first as leader of the largest opposition faction, accused Merz of presiding over “the greatest election fraud in German history”. She branded him a “Lügenkanzler”, condemned the relaxation of the constitutional debt brake as a “Staatsstreich”, and faulted the coalition for shelving a promised across-the-board cut in electricity tax while escalating borrowing for defence and Ukraine. Merz dismissed the attack as “half-truths and personal denigration”. He argued that loosening the debt ceiling had been upheld by the Constitutional Court and was essential to prevent a rupture in NATO. The draft 2025 budget, he said, foresees €503 billion in spending, €81.8 billion in new borrowing and a €500 billion off-balance-sheet fund to modernise infrastructure and advance climate goals, alongside faster depreciation rules and planned corporate-tax relief. Addressing migration, the chancellor claimed tighter border controls and an expanded list of safe countries had already cut asylum applications by 43 % this year. He pledged a comprehensive reform of the Bürgergeld welfare system in the autumn and reaffirmed support for Ukraine. The four-hour exchange set a combative tone for the remainder of the budget deliberations, which continue through the week.