Federal election campaign
Stand up for Weidel: AfD elects candidate for chancellor for the first time
In Riesa, AfD party conference attendees have to avoid thousands of demonstrators. Once in the hall, they are brimming with self-confidence and lift up party leader Weidel’s shield.
The AfD has now officially chosen its leader Alice Weidel as its candidate for chancellor. Unanimously and to thunderous applause, a party conference in Riesa, Saxony, elected the 45-year-old as the front woman in the election campaign. Weidel told the approximately 600 delegates, many of whom were waving German flags, that the AfD was needed to make Germany “strong, rich and safe again.” The borders must be closed completely and the message sent to the world: “The German borders are closed.”
Acclamation, light show and sharp attacks on the Union
There was no counting of the votes. Weidel was chosen by so-called acclamation – the delegates rose from their seats as a sign of their approval. Accompanied by a light show, loud music and cheers, Weidel then took the stage, painted a bleak picture of the situation in Germany and listed the AfD’s positions in the election campaign.
“We will put Nord Stream back into operation,” she shouted about the natural gas pipeline to Russia to applause. She accused the Union of copying the AfD’s election program and insulted the CDU as a “fraud party” that needed to be overtaken. The AfD leader also made it clear that she has no problem with the term “remigration”. There was thunderous applause for her exclamation: “When we are at the helm, we will tear down all the wind turbines. Down with these windmills of shame.”
The co-chairman, Tino Chrupalla, previously appealed to his party with a view to current surveys: “Now we have to leave the 20 percent mark behind us and keep climbing,” with the aim of making Weidel Chancellor. He himself “keeps the front woman’s back free.” Saxony’s AfD leader Jörg Urban said to the Union’s candidate for chancellor, Friedrich Merz (CDU): “Mr. Merz, dress warmly, we are coming!” To loud cheers, he added: “Alice for Germany!”
Support from Musk again
The US billionaire Elon Musk linked to the live stream of the party conference on his platform X, thereby once again giving the AfD enormous international reach. The Tesla boss’s posts are followed by more than 210 million people worldwide. Musk has been promoting the AfD for a long time and caused a stir with a live conversation with Weidel shortly before the party conference.
AfD derives candidate for chancellor from surveys
It is the first time in the AfD’s almost twelve-year history that it has named a candidate for chancellor. Weidel justified this with the party’s poll numbers. This results in a government mandate. In surveys for months, the AfD has been in second place by a wide margin behind the CDU and CSU – currently at around 20 percent. In six weeks, a new Bundestag will be elected early after the traffic light coalition broke up.
Since there are no majorities in sight in the Bundestag for an AfD chancellor because no party with the AfD would vote for it, Weidel’s candidacy is primarily symbolic.
Protests significantly delay party conference
The party conference began more than two hours late. Due to numerous blockages of access routes by counter-demonstrators, the arrival of many of the approximately 600 delegates was delayed. The two-day meeting was supposed to start at 10 a.m. and ended up starting a quarter of an hour after 12 p.m.
The organizers of the protests spoke of 12,000 participants, the police of 10,000. Several thousand AfD opponents gathered in front of the hall. There were repeated shouts against arriving party conference participants, such as “All of Germany hates the AfD”.
According to their own statements, various members of the Federal Executive Board arrived early on buses under police escort without any problems. Other AfD representatives experienced major delays because they were stuck in traffic due to blockages. According to their statements, Weidel’s car was also stopped by demonstrators. Party leader Tino Chrupalla called the journey more than difficult.
Debate about election program
The content of the two-day party conference is about the AfD’s election program for the federal election. A draft is available. This calls for, for example, an exit from the EU, the euro and the Paris climate agreement. However, several points are still controversial. There are numerous amendments, for example in the areas of foreign, energy, migration and family policy, which will be debated and voted on in Riesa.
“Patriotic Youth” instead of “Young Alternative”
A controversial point on the agenda also revolves around the young AfD: The AfD leadership wants to replace the youth organization “Junge Alternative” (JA), which the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies as a “certain extremist effort,” with a new organization called “Patriotic “Youth” who are more closely tied to the party.
According to their own statement, the AfD leadership hopes that the reform will result in more action in cases of misconduct. Experts also see the motivation as being that the AfD youth would be better protected from a ban if they were no longer an independent club.
dpa
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
