Alternative for Germany (AfD) is now keen for things to move forward quickly: “Chancellor Scholz has already lost the trust of the German people and must urgently pave the way for new elections,” said Alice Weidel, co-chairman of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) made this statement after the government collapsed .

The far-right party wants Chancellor Olaf Scholz to submit to a vote of confidence next week rather than waiting until January. “He owes it to this country to resign as soon as possible,” Weidel added.

Closing borders, ending aid to Ukraine

The AfD has been fiercely attacking the ruling coalition since it was founded in late December 2021 by the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens and the neoliberal Free Democratic Party (FDP). failed at all policy levels. The party has called for radical change, particularly on immigration and foreign policy. The party has campaigned heavily against illegal immigration and open borders, similar to US President Donald Trump.

And it strongly opposes any arms shipments to Ukraine. In June 2024, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a speech in the German Bundestag, the AfD parliamentary group decided to display its disdain for the guest by not attending the Bundestag session.

Now that the ruling coalition is over, the AfD is calling for an end to further arms and financial aid to Ukraine: “I would also recommend that this be done in the last few months before the next general election, because it will continue to ruin the budget of the federal government,” said AfD co-chairman Tino Chrupalla. for,” he said.

AfD rides the wave of anti-liberal sentiment

New elections could enable the AfD to make significant gains in the polls and thus gain greater influence in federal politics. In the last federal election in September 2021, the party received 10% of the vote. In November 2024, opinion polls show this rate to be around 17%.

The party’s platform seems quite suitable for a quick election. He will undoubtedly continue his tough conflict strategy.

For years, the party has managed to shape German politics by appealing to a series of grievances, especially regarding asylum and immigration policy.

Tino Chrupalla announced his party’s list of demands at the press conference. “We want an end to the integration of illegal immigrants into the social system, an end to the deportation of criminals who are decided to leave the country, and the closure of the borders.”

To achieve its goals, the AfD calls on what it calls “mainstream parties” such as the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Christian Social Union (CSU) and FDP to work with them. In response to the end of the coalition, Alice Weidel said, “We call on the CDU/CSU and FDP to finally accept their civic responsibilities and reach an agreement with us. After all, we represent millions of voters.” he said.

The AfD is particularly pressuring the Christian Democrats to reverse their categorical refusal to work with the AfD. “At the same time, we want to see this marginalization finally end,” Chrupalla said. he said. “The citizens of Germany are waiting for this country’s problems to finally be solved and this crisis to be resolved.”

However, a coalition between AfD and CDU is a very remote possibility. This is because the AfD is becoming increasingly extreme.

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, is monitoring the party for its alignment with the far right.

AfD sees ‘woke’ Greens as main enemy

The AfD’s favorite enemy is the Greens, whom it criticizes for their climate and economic policies, but above all for their vision of a cosmopolitan society.

However, the AfD has also been highly critical of the conservative Christian Democrats. Former CDU Chancellor Angela Merkel has been the target of the party’s wrath for years over her immigration policies in 2015. Maximilian Krah, the AfD’s leading candidate in this year’s EU elections, named the CDU as his main rival and called for the renewal of that party. “demolition.”

This radicalism was one of the reasons why CDU party chairman Friedrich Merz said in an interview with Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland in August 2024: “We cannot work with this party. This would mean the end of the CDU.”

It is still unclear what impact the AfD’s numerous scandals will have on the federal elections. In November 2024, three AfD party members were arrested for allegedly supporting a suspected far-right terrorist group. The AfD now wants to deport them.

Links to neo-Nazis

However, there already appear to be extensive connections between party members and neo-Nazi and far-right networks. An AfD member of the Bavarian state parliament is also under investigation for right-wing agitation. A former AfD member of the Bundestag is also currently in custody for his alleged involvement in coup planning.

Due to the increasing radicalization of the AfD, a non-partisan group of members of the Bundestag plans to submit a motion to parliament to ban the AfD. If the required majority is obtained, the Federal Constitutional Court will have to decide.

This article was originally written in German.

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