In the longer run it may be something else, especially if the AfD runs into the ground and breaks down into endless in-fighting like so many populist right parties in Europe, but if we're talking about new elections in the short term, I don't see how Merkel stepping aside solves anything.

When I said Lindner had to get over it, I meant with the current election results, and as a pragmatic conclusion rather than as a judgement of his policies or positions - for whatever reason, he was the one to walk out and not the Greens, otherwise I'd have said the same about the Greens.