Lawmakers from the incoming chancellor’s CDU party signal an end to the “firewall” that saw mainstream politicians refuse to work with extreme groups for decades.

The party that won Germany’s election is radically softening its approach to working with the far right as the reality of the country’s transformed political landscape starts to bite.

While the center-right Christian Democrats (CDU) — the party of Helmut Kohl and Angela Merkel — has for decades steadfastly refused to cooperate or do deals with politicians on the extremes, that “firewall” now appears to be crumbling as the German parliament works out how to organize itself in the wake of the country’s Feb. 23 snap election.