Bundestag election campaign: AfD separates from Junger Alternative – new organization

The Junge Alternative (JA) should no longer be the youth organization of the AfD. The association is to be replaced by a new party youth whose officials are not allowed to violate the principles of the AfD. With the necessary two-thirds majority, the AfD party conference decided on a corresponding change to the AfD’s statutes shortly before its conclusion in Riesa. The JA federal chairman Hannes Gnauck advocated for this step and justified it, among other things, with the possible risk of a ban on the association.

The delegates previously decided on the AfD’s election program for the upcoming federal election on February 23rd. After the meeting in Riesa, Saxony, began more than two hours late on Saturday due to blockades by AfD opponents, the streets remained quiet on the second day of the meeting.

AfD wants more control over new youth organization

The party leadership submitted the motion to separate from the JA with the aim of binding the AfD’s youth organization more closely to the party. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution observes the JA as a proven right-wing extremist effort, which the AfD and JA are defending themselves against in an urgent procedure that is still ongoing.

Until now, the statutes said: “The Young Alternative for Germany (JA) is the official youth organization of the Alternative for Germany” and that it is an independent association. The name was deleted and it is now said that the AfD’s youth organization is a legally dependent part of the party.

Until now, members – apart from the board members – did not have to be in the AfD. This should not be possible in the future organization: everyone who wants to take part should also be an AfD member, except for young people under 16 who cannot yet be an AfD member.

It has not yet been decided whether the new organization will ultimately be called Patriotic Youth, as the federal executive board originally suggested. The party leadership in Riesa was open to the demand that the party’s junior members should choose their own name.

Opponents of the adopted change said that many JA members were against founding a new company. They wanted more trust from the party executive.

According to their own statement, the AfD leadership hopes that the new regulations will result in more action in the event of misconduct. Another motivation is that the AfD youth would be better protected from a possible ban if they were no longer an independent club. A ban on a party that currently has more than 20 percent approval in voter surveys is unrealistic, said JA federal leader Gnauck. “But attacking where we are weakest, namely the unregistered Junge Alternative club, is realistic,” he added.

After foreign policy, migration and the fight against crime were discussed on the first day, the AfD completed its election program on the second day with resolutions on family policy, abortion and history. In it, as in its program for the European elections last year, the party calls for a strict migration policy under the controversial keyword “remigration”. She also advocates for a reinstatement of compulsory military service, an exit from the euro and the Paris Climate Agreement, and for a new European confederation of states. However, the explicit demand for Germany to leave the EU (Dexit) is avoided.

The day before, AfD leader Alice Weidel was announced as her party’s candidate for chancellor to great cheers and in a sharp speech that followed, she swore her party into the election campaign. The AfD wants to carry out returns on a large scale, “if it is supposed to be called remigration, then it is called remigration,” said Weidel. She had previously avoided the word herself.

In her speech, she primarily attacked the CDU, accused it of copying the AfD and called it a “fraud party.” Six weeks before the federal election, the Union with Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz (CDU) is in first place with 30 to 31 percent, ahead of the AfD, which has recently made further gains and is at 21 to 22 percent.

Fuss about windmill statement

Weidel received thunderous applause during her speech for exclaiming: “When we are at the helm, we will tear down all wind power plants. Down with these windmills of shame.” This statement was widely discussed online. Weidel explained on the sidelines of the party conference that the statement referred to her statements shortly before, which were about the Reinhardswald in Hesse. This is being cut down for windmills in CDU-led Hesse.

Almost 60 percent of German electricity generation last year came from renewable energies such as wind and sun.

Things remained quiet around the event hall in Riesa on Sunday. The police presence was significantly reduced. On Saturday, demonstrators severely delayed the start of the party conference by blocking the access routes. Many AfD delegates didn’t get through in the morning.