GEORGE V MAGAZINE / AFD ALERTERNATIVE
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In Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, domestic intelligence services already classify the party as right-wing extremist. According to leaks, the decision had already been made in November, but the BfV did not make it public due to the early federal elections.
When asked about the matter, the Brandenburg Interior Ministry simply stated that “in principle, the Brandenburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution will decide in due course on the categorization of the objects of observation in accordance with the provisions of the Constitutional Protection Act.” In Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, the respective domestic intelligence services already classify the party as right-wing extremist.
AfD party conference in Riesa: scandal surrounding Alice Weidel
Shortly afterwards, the next scandal occurred at the AfD party conference. A delegate accused the newly elected federal chairwoman Alice Weidel of having “shown a delegate from Baden-Württemberg the gesture of pointing her finger at the head”. According to the delegate, this was a “punishable offense of insult” that was “unworthy of a federal chairwoman”. He requested that Weidel be called to order. Weidel reacted and immediately gave the floor twice. The presidium rejected a reprimand.
AfD party conference in Riesa: Discussion about the one-leader principle
First, there was a procedural motion that five questions instead of three could be asked of the candidates. Incidentally, only those who had not previously said anything on the matter can request an end to the debate. This motion was also rejected. Now the discussion is about whether one or two board members should be elected. “Responsibility cannot be divided,” said one speaker in favor of the one-leader principle.
AfD party conference: Höcke’s proposal approved – future sole leader role possible
The AfD will not elect its party leadership until Saturday. The delegates of the federal party conference in Riesa decided on Friday evening not to deal with this agenda item until the following day. The new appointment of the party’s leadership team is the focus of the three-day meeting. The positions on the entire federal executive board will be reassigned. Whether one or two chairmen will be elected is still open. This will also be voted on Saturday.
AfD changes party statutes: In future there can be one or a sole chairman
In future, the AfD can also be led by one or a sole chairman. The delegates of the federal party conference in Riesa approved a corresponding change to the party statutes on Friday with the required two-thirds majority. In doing so, they followed a proposal by the Thuringian AfD leader Björn Höcke, who declared the collective leadership model practiced since the party was founded in 2013 to be outdated.
AfD would build new nuclear power plants: Federal party conference supports this proposal
The AfD federal party conference in Riesa, Saxony, voted by a large majority in favor of building new nuclear power plants. A resolution adopted on Friday states that nuclear energy is now “used by almost two-thirds of the world’s population.” It is “one of the most important building blocks in the energy mix of the future.” The German nuclear phase-out “runs completely counter to this development,” the AfD criticizes in the resolution.
AfD party conference: Way clear for future individual leadership – veto on general secretary question
The AfD is paving the way for a future single leadership. After the required two-thirds majority, a single or dual leadership will be possible in the future; until now, the statutes stipulated that the AfD would be led by two or three chairmen. The change to the statutes was approved by the party conference with 69.2 percent.
However, the proposal to appoint a general secretary for the party in the event of a single leader was rejected. Björn Höcke, among others, had spoken out in favor of this model.
AfD party conference: No motion on Kalbitz’s role
What the AfD will not discuss is a motion on the right of the former Brandenburg state leader Andreas Kalbitz to appear. The AfD federal party conference rejected by a narrow majority a vote on giving Kalbitz more influence. A motion by the Brandenburg state association aimed to reverse the ban on Kalbitz appearing, who had been expelled from the party. The delegates voted by 54 percent not to deal with the motion in question.
Nothing is really happening at the AfD party conference at the moment. The delegates were busy with several motions on the agenda. There was a lot of back and forth, as the 600 AfD representatives did not agree on even seemingly banal points such as the order of the agenda items. In terms of content, the discussion will start with the AfD’s positions on nuclear power.
AfD party conference: Höcke attacks “narcissists in the federal executive board”
Björn Höcke speaks at the party conference. And in his usual clear manner. The AfD must recognize “that we have lost the spirit of change, that we have been held back by narcissists in the federal executive board,” said Höcke. He promoted his proposal to set up a reform commission that would ensure “more effective institutions, structures and processes.”
AfD party conference: A party seeks a way out of the crisis – new party leadership
Riesa – It is no coincidence that the AfD is holding its federal party conference in a small town in Saxony. The Alternative for Germany is traditionally strong in the Free State and achieves its best results here. Recently, however, there has been less and less to celebrate in the AfD. The three-day meeting in Riesa is taking place at a time when the right-wing populists are wrangling over their course.
The AfD has lost votes in the last nine state elections. In the 2021 federal election, it lost 2.1 percentage points, and in Schleswig-Holstein the party was thrown out of the state parliament . A graphic listing these election results is circulating within the AfD. It includes a photo of Tino Chrupalla, a photoshopped bouquet of flowers and an ironic “congratulations”. Chrupalla, currently party and parliamentary group leader, is not without controversy. Also because of his closeness to Russia. In 2020, he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. However, his power could be strengthened at the party congress in Riesa .
First of all, there is the fundamental question of whether there should be a single or dual leadership. Applications to change the statutes aim to have just one person at the top in the future. In that case, Chrupalla would probably be the first choice. In the case of dual leadership, the name Alice Weidel also pops up. She is currently the joint parliamentary group leader with Chrupalla.
AfD party conference: Höcke reaches for influence
Chrupalla’s former co-chairman Jörg Meuthen resigned from his post and left the AfD in January. He justified this with “totalitarian overtones” in the party and the increasing influence of the far-right camp around Björn Höcke from Thuringia. The party conference is considered to be a turning point for the AfD, depending on how strongly the forces around Höcke prevail.
Höcke took a public stance in May. “Perhaps it is now time,” said the controversial but still influential AfD man to party friends, “to help shape the party leadership at the federal level.” To put this into context: Höcke is being monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and is described as a right-wing extremist. According to a court ruling, the former history teacher can be described as a fascist .
Despite Höcke’s statements, the AfD considers it rather unlikely that he will seek the chairmanship of the federal party himself. Shortly before the party conference began, it was still unclear whether he would stand for election. On Friday morning, he said he felt “very comfortable” in Thuringia. However, he is likely to try to use the party conference to demonstrate his influence.
AfD party conference: Chrupalla calls for overcoming the “destructive mood”
Höcke is the most prominent person in the radical faction within the AfD. Chrupalla is considered a more moderate. In his opening speech at the party conference, he said he wanted to lead the party on a “liberal-social” course. He saw no contradiction between “liberal” and “social”. Addressing the delegates, Chrupalla said that a new federal executive board had to be elected that would work together “collegially and constructively, trustingly and considerately”. The aim now was to “leave the destructive mood of the past behind us”. 600 delegates elected a new AfD executive board.
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