The recent European election saw the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) making significant gains, becoming the second strongest political force in Germany. Despite this success, the party is facing internal unrest due to various scandals involving prominent AfD figures.
One such scandal revolves around AfD’s top candidate Maximilian Krah, whose controversial statements and connections led to discord within the party. This, along with the party’s lower-than-expected EU election results, has prompted criticism of the leadership, particularly co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla.
At the upcoming party conference, calls to replace the dual leadership with a single leader have emerged, although experts believe such a move is unlikely to happen. The AfD’s internal democracy may lead to open conflicts during the conference, with a potential shift towards radical right-wing ideology.
With ongoing criminal proceedings against figures like Björn Höcke and the AfD being monitored as a suspected right-wing extremist organization, opposition from various sectors in Germany is growing against the party’s perceived racist, antisemitic, and anti-democratic tendencies.
This article was originally written in German.