^A: The AfD is avölkisch nationalist party, a type ofethnonationalism that defines the German nation in racial terms.[3][4][5] The party is sometimes referred to asright-wing populist ornational conservative, particularly in the press, but these designations have not received much support from academics, who describe them as euphemistic.[6][7] ^B: The AfD was not a radical right-wing party in its early phase, but moved to the populist radical right in 2015 with the replacement of its first leadership.[8] As of 2025[update], theFederal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has identified the AfD as being an "extreme right" political party.[9]
Several state associations and other factions of AfD have been linked to or accused of harbouring connections with far-right nationalist and proscribed movements, such asPEGIDA, theNeue Rechte, and theIdentitarian movement,[44] and of employinghistorical revisionism,[45] as well asxenophobic rhetoric.[46][47][48] They have been observed by variousstate offices for the protection of the constitution since 2018.[49] AfD's leadership has denied that the party is racist and has been internally divided on whether to endorse such groups.[50] In January 2022, after a failed power struggle, party leaderJörg Meuthen resigned his party chairmanship with immediate effect and left AfD, stating that the party had moved far to the right with totalitarian traits and in large parts was no longer based on theliberal democratic basic order.[51][52] Lucke had left the party in 2015 with a similar view.[53]
AfD is strongest in the areas of the former communist German Democratic Republic (East Germany), especially the states ofSaxony andThuringia, largely due to economic and integration issues that continue to persist post-reunification,[54][55][56] in addition to the East German voters' perceived propensity forstrongman rule.[57] In the 2021 federal elections, AfD fell from third to fifth place overall but made gains in theeastern states.[16] In the formerEast Berlin, it came in second after SPD with 20.5% of the vote; in the west, it came in fifth with 8.4% of the vote. In the2025 German federal election, AfD received a record 20.8% of the vote and ended in second place behindCDU/CSU.
History
Background
In September 2012,Alexander Gauland,Bernd Lucke, and the journalistKonrad Adam founded the political group Electoral Alternative 2013 (German:Wahlalternative 2013) inBad Nauheim, to oppose German federal policies concerning theeurozone crisis, and to confront German-supported bailouts for poorer southern European countries.[58] Theirmanifesto was endorsed by several economists, journalists, and business leaders, and stated that theeurozone had proven to be "unsuitable" as a currency area and that southern European states were "sinking into poverty under the competitive pressure of the euro".[59]
Some candidates of what would become AfD sought election inLower Saxony as part of theElectoral Alternative 2013 in alliance with theFree Voters, an association participating in local elections without specific federal or foreign policies, and received 1% of the vote.[59][60] In February 2013, the group decided to found a new party to compete in the 2013 federal election; according to a leaked email from Lucke, the Free Voters leadership declined to join forces.[61]
Founding
Konrad Adam (left), Frauke Petry, and Bernd Lucke during the first AfD convention on 14 April 2013 in Berlin
The party was founded on 6 February 2013. On 14 April 2013, the AfD announced its presence to the wider public when it held its first convention inBerlin, elected the party leadership, and adopted a party platform. Bernd Lucke,[62] the entrepreneurFrauke Petry and Konrad Adam were elected as speakers.[63] AfD's federal board also chose Alexander Gauland, Roland Klaus, and Patricia Casale as its three deputy speakers. The party elected the treasurer Norbert Stenzel and the three assessors Irina Smirnova, Beatrix Diefenbach, and Wolf-Joachim Schünemann. The economistJoachim Starbatty, along withJörn Kruse [de],Helga Luckenbach [de],Dirk Meyer [de], andRoland Vaubel [de], were elected to the party's scientific advisory board. Between 31 March and 12 May 2013 AfD founded affiliates in all 16states of Germany in order to participate in the federal elections. On 15 June 2013 theYoung Alternative for Germany was founded inDarmstadt as the AfD's youth organisation.[64] During the British prime ministerDavid Cameron's visit to Germany in April 2013, the BritishConservative Party was reported to have contacted both AfD and theFree Voters to discuss possible cooperation, supported by theEuropean Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group of the European Parliament.[65] In June 2013 Bernd Lucke gave a question and answer session organized by the Conservative Party-alliedBruges Groupthink tank inPortcullis House, London.[66] In a detailed report in the conservativeFrankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in April 2013, the paper's Berlin-based political correspondent Majid Sattar revealed that theSocial Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and CDU had conductedopposition research to blunt the growth and attraction of AfD.[67]
Advocating the abolition of the euro, AfD took a more radical stance than the Free Voters.[68] ThePirate Party Germany opposed any coalition with AfD at their 2013 spring convention.[69] The AfD's initial supporters were the same prominent economists, business leaders, and journalists who had supported the Electoral Alternative 2013, including former members of theChristian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU), who had previously challenged the constitutionality of the German government's eurozone policies at theFederal Constitutional Court.[70][71][72] AfD did not regard itself as a splinter party from the CDU, as its early membership also contained a former state leader from theFree Democratic Party and members of the Federation of Independent Voters, a pressure group of independents and small business owners.[39]
Second vote share percentage for AfD in the 2013 federal election in Germany, final results
On 22 September 2013 AfD won 4.7% of the votes in the 2013 federal election, just missing the5% barrier to enter theBundestag. The party won about 2 million party list votes and 810,000 constituency votes, which was 1.9% of the total of these votes cast across Germany.[73]
AfD did not participate in the2013 Bavaria state election held on 15 September. The party gained parliamentary representation for the first time in the state parliament ofHesse, with the defection of Jochen Paulus from theFree Democratic Party to AfD in early May 2013;[74] he was not re-elected and left office in January 2014.[75] In the2013 Hesse state election held on 22 September, the same day as the 2013 federal election, AfD failed to gain representation with just 4% of the vote.[citation needed]
Former "Courage [to stand up] for the truth! The euro is dividing Europe!" tagline on election placard 2013
In early 2014, theFederal Constitutional Court of Germany ruled the proposed 3% vote hurdle for representation in the European elections unconstitutional, and the 2014 European Parliament election became the first run in Germany without a barrier for representation.[76]
AfD held a party conference on 25 January 2014 inAschaffenburg, northwestBavaria. The conference chose the sloganMut zu Deutschland ("Courage [to stand up] for Germany") to replace the former sloganMut zur Wahrheit (lit.'Courage [to speak] the truth', or more succinctly, "Telling it as it is"),[77] which prompted disagreement among the federal board that the party could be seen as too anti-European. A compromise was reached by using the slogan "MUT ZU D*EU*TSCHLAND", with the "EU" in "DEUTSCHLAND" encircled by the 12 stars of theEuropean flag.[78] The conference elected the top six candidates for the European elections on 26 January 2014 and met again the following weekend to choose the remaining euro candidates.[77][78][79] Candidates from 7th–28th place on the party list were selected in Berlin on 1 February.[80] Party chairman Bernd Lucke was elected as lead candidate.
In February 2014, AfD officials said they had discussed alliances with the British anti-EUUK Independence Party (UKIP), which Lucke and the federal board of AfD opposed, and also with theEuropean Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, to which Britain'sConservative Party belongs.[81] In April 2014Hans-Olaf Henkel, AfD's second candidate on the European election list, ruled out forming a group with UKIP.[82] stating that he saw the Conservatives as the preferred partner in the European Parliament.[82] On 10 May 2014 Lucke had been in talks with the Czech and Polish member parties of the ECR group.[83]
AfD election poster from 2014. The slogan translates as "Washington spies. Brussels dictates. Berlin obeys."
In the 2014 European Parliament election on 25 May, AfD came in fifth place in Germany, with 7.1% of the national vote (2,065,162 votes), and sevenMembers of the European parliament (MEPs).[84] On 12 June 2014, it was announced that AfD had been accepted into the ECR group in the European Parliament.[85] The official vote result was not released to the public, but figures of 29 votes for and 26 against were reported by the membership.[85] The inclusion of AfD in the ECR group was said to have caused mild tensions between the German chancellorAngela Merkel and the British prime ministerDavid Cameron.[39]
On 15 February 2015 AfD won 6.1% of the vote in theHamburg state election, gaining the mandate for eight seats in theHamburg Parliament,[89] winning their first seats in a western German state. On 10 May 2015, AfD secured in the 5.5% of the vote in the2015 Bremen state election gaining representation in their fifth state parliament on a 50% turnout.[90]
Petry's leadership (2015–2017)
After months of factional infighting and a cancelled party gathering in June 2015,Frauke Petry was elected on 4 July 2015 as thede facto principal speaker of the party with 60% of the member votes ahead of Bernd Lucke at a party congress inEssen.[91] Petry was a member of the national-conservative faction of AfD.[92] Her leadership was widely seen as heralding a shift of the party to the right to focus more on issues such as immigration, Islam, and strengthening ties toRussia, a shift which was claimed by Lucke as turning the party into a "Pegida party".[93] In the following week, five MEPs exited the party on 7 July, the only remaining MEPs beingBeatrix von Storch andMarcus Pretzell,[94] and Lucke announced on 8 July 2015 that he was resigning from AfD, citing the rise of xenophobic and pro-Russian sentiments in the party.[95] At a meeting of members of the Wake-up call (Weckruf 2015) group on 19 July 2015, AfD founder Bernd Lucke and former AfD members announced they would form a new party, theAlliance for Progress and Renewal, under the founding principles of AfD.[96] The split off party was eventually renamed theLiberal Conservative Reformers, but had little electoral success.[97]
In February 2016 AfD announced a cooperation pact with theFreedom Party of Austria (FPÖ).[98] On 8 March 2016, the bureau of the ECR group began motions to exclude AfD from their group due to its links with the far-right FPÖ,[99] inviting the two remaining AfD MEPs to leave the group by 31 March, with a motion of exclusion to be tabled on 12 April if they refuse to leave voluntarily.[100] While von Storch left the ECR group on 8 April to join theEurope of Freedom and Direct Democracy group,[101][102] Pretzell let himself be expelled on 12 April.[103]
At the party congress held on 30 April to 1 May 2016, AfD adopted a policy platform based upon opposition to Islam, calling for the ban of Islamic symbols includingburqas,minarets, andadhan (call to prayer), using the slogan "Islam is not a part of Germany".[108][109][110][111]
Second vote share percentage for AfD in the 2017 federal election in Germany, final resultsNational party convention inCologne in April 2017
At the party conference in April 2017, Frauke Petry announced that she would not run as the party's main candidate for the 2017 federal election. This announcement grew out of internal power struggle as the party's support had fallen in polls from 15% in the summer of 2016 to 7% just before the conference.Björn Höcke from the far-right wing of the party and Petry were attempting to push each other out of the party. Petry's decision was partly seen as a step to avoid a vote at the conference on the issue of her standing.[112] The party chose Alexander Gauland, a stark conservative who worked as an editor and was a former member of the CDU,[113] to lead the party in the elections. Gauland supported the retention of Höcke's party membership. Alice Weidel, who is perceived as more moderate andneoliberal, was elected as his running mate.[114] The party approved a platform that, according toThe Wall Street Journal, "urges Germany to close its borders to asylum applicants, endsanctions on Russia and to leave the EU if Berlin fails to retrieve national sovereignty from Brussels, as well as to amend the country's constitution to allow people born to non-German parents to have their German citizenship revoked if they commit serious crimes."[114]
In the 2017 federal election AfD won 12.6% of the vote and received 94 seats; this was the first time it had won seats in theBundestag.[115][116] It won three constituency seats, which would have been enough to qualify for proportionally-elected seats in any event. Under a long-standing law intended to benefit regional parties, any party that wins at least three constituency seats qualifies for its share of proportionally-elected seats, regardless of vote share.[117]
At a press conference held by AfD the day after the 2017 federal election, Frauke Petry said that she would participate in the Bundestag as an independent; she said she did this because extremist statements by some members made it impossible for AfD to function as a constructive opposition, and to make clear to voters that there is internal dissent in the AfD. She also said that she would be leaving the party at some future date.[118][119] Petry formed theBlue Party in September 2017. Four members of AfD in theMecklenburg-Western Pomerania legislature, including Bernhard Wild, also left the party to formCitizens for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,[118] which folded in December 2018. On 6 November 2019 Petry announced that the Blue Party would dissolve by the end of the year.[120]
In 2018André Poggenburg, AfD's regional leader of the easternSaxony-Anhalt state, resigned his post after making racist remarks concerning Turks and immigrants with dual citizenship.[121][122] In 2019, Poggenburg started a new far-right party,Aufbruch deutscher Patrioten – Mitteldeutschland (ADPM), which he left in August 2019 after his internal call to dissolve ADPM and to support AfD in the upcoming state elections of fall 2019 was denied.[123]
Ahead of the 2021 federal election, AfD campaigned with the slogan "Germany. But Normal" and took a position of opposing further lockdowns in response to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Having moved further right on economic issues and remaining strongly right on socio-cultural issues, despite attempts to normalize, AfD's manifesto for the federal election was deemed to be still too radical for the party to take part in government.[124]
In the federal election, AfD saw a dip in national vote share by getting 10.3% of the vote, compared to 12.6% in 2017; however, the party emerged as the largest in the states ofSaxony andThuringia, and saw a strong performance ineastern Germany.[125] The party's results drew a mixed analysis from AfD members and political commentators, the latter of whom attributed the slight decline to visible infighting, whereas AfD candidates such as Alice Weidel blamed media bias against the party. The political scientistKai Arzheimer commented that the result "wasn't any appreciable increase, but it wasn't a disaster for them." Arzheimer also posited that the result demonstrated that AfD had firmly established itself in German national politics but had not reached beyond its core support. AfD's top candidatesTino Chrupalla and Weidel praised the result as "solid", while party spokesmanJörg Meuthen stated that the party should reevaluate the result and aim on "sending strong signals towards the center" to win back new voters.[16] Meuthen left the party in January 2022.[126][127]
On 8 October state elections, AfD significantly increased its share inHesse where it became the second-biggest party (+9 seats) and inBavaria, where it became the third (+10 seats).
Observers considered the increase of support for the AfD as not being limited to the local level.Opinion polling for the 2025 German federal election conducted in early July 2023 showed that the AfD polled more than the SPD, achieving second place behind theCDU/CSU alliance.[143] The SPD co-leader said a ban should be considered if the AfD is categorized as a group of "proven Right-wing extremists" by theFederal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.Friedrich Merz, the CDU leader, warned that "banning parties has never actually solved political problems". Germans are evenly split on a ban, with 47 per cent in favour and 47 per cent against; the ban is more popular in the west and among liberal Greens.[144]
In December 2023 Tim Lochner of AfD was elected Mayor ofPirna (Saxony). He became the first mayor of a city with more than 20,000 inhabitants to be a member of the party.[145]
In 2023, the AfD saw 86violent attacks on AfD party representatives. This was more than on any other German party.[146][147]
In January 2024Correctiv reported that members of AfD hadsecretly met with figures from the German and Austrian far-right in November 2023, in which they allegedly discussed a "remigration" plan for deporting immigrants, which could include naturalised German citizens. Those present included theIdentitarian activistMartin Sellner.[148][149][150]
The AfD distanced itself from the meeting, saying it was not responsible for what was discussed and that its members had attended only in a personal capacity. Alice Weidel parted ways withRoland Hartwig, an advisor who was present at the meeting.[150][151]
The plan was condemned by German politicians, including ChancellorOlaf Scholz.[152][153] The report sparkedprotests against the AfD across Germany, with protestors calling for a ban of AfD.[153][151][154][155] Subsequently, the AfD memberMaximilian Krah got involved in controversy, prompting AfD to be expelled from theID group, withEKRE supporting expulsion of Krah, but opposing the removal of the entire AfD delegation, and theFPÖ opposing the expulsion of AfD.[156][157]
On 9 June 2024 AfD won 16% of the vote in the European Parliament elections, second only to theCDU/CSU and almost five percentage points more than in the 2019 election.[158][159] AfD prevailed in all five formerEast German states.[160][161]
One of the party's leaders,Tino Chrupalla, hailed the results as "historic".[159] In an attempt to rejoin the ID group, the AfD replaced its controversial candidateMaximilian Krah withRené Aust as head of the AfD delegation in the European Parliament.[162] However, AfD failed to join ID, or now namedPatriots for Europe. Instead, AfD formed the newESN group which was composed predominantly of AfD members, as well as some otherethnonationalist parties across Europe.[163]
On 23 February 2025 AfD won 20.8% of the vote in the German federal election, second to theCDU/CSU. It gained 10.4 percentage points over the 2021 election result.[167] The party won nearly a third of the votes in each of the East German states, the lowest being 32.5% in Brandenburg and the highest 38.5% in Thuringia, and won all but three constituency seats in the former East Germany (Potsdam, Erfurt and one of two seats in Leipzig). In the former West Germany, the party beat the SPD for second place by less than 0.5% of the vote and received more than 20% of the vote in two southwestern states:Saarland (21.6%) andRhineland-Palatinate (20.1%).[168]
On April 2025, for the first time in German history, AfD was ahead of the CDU/CSU (Union) in someopinion polls for thenext federal election, while other polls put it on par with the Union or in second place. Support for the CDU/CSU, analliance that won the election, fell from 29% to 24%, while AfD rose by three percentage points from 22% to 25%, partially becoming the most popular party in Germany.[169][170]
In May 2025 theFederal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) classified AfD as a "confirmed right-wing extremist endeavor".[171][172] In a 1,100-page classified and undisclosed report, BfV experts found that AfD is a "racist andanti-Muslim organisation". The classification will allow German authorities to monitor AfD and possibly limit or haltpublic funding for it. It may also inspire its opponents to attempt to get it banned.[173][174] AfD leadersAlice Weidel andTino Chrupalla said the decision was "clearly politically motivated" and was a "severe blow to German democracy". They argued that AfD is being discredited andpersecuted by the government.[175] ChancellorOlaf Scholz said that BfV provided a "very detailed justification" for its decision and that proceedings to ban the AfD must not be rushed.[174] Severalfederal states in Germany have begun considering measures that would ban AfD members from being employed in jobs likecivil servants,police officers,teachers orsoldiers in response to the classification.[176]
On 4 May 2025 a poll conducted by Insa Polling Institute which surveyed 1,001 people found that 48% of them favour banning AfD. The poll also showed that 61% of participants consider AfD a "right-wing extremist” party.[177] On 5 May AfD sued the Federal Office for the Protection of Constitution, accusing it of violating theBasic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (the Germanconstitution) by trying to prosecute AfD for saying ideas which are consideredfreedom of speech and legitimate criticism of Germanimmigration policies.[178][179] A court inCologne will start reviewing the case once BfV confirms that it has been notified of the lawsuit.[180]
Sieghard Knodel, a member of AfD in theBundestag, announced his resignation from the party on 6 May 2025. He wrote in an email: "In light of the classification of the party as confirmed right-wing extremist by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, I must protect my private and business environment". He said that he would continue to serve as a non-attached member of parliament.[181][self-published source?][182]
On May 8, the extremist classification of AfD was temporarily suspended by theBfV pending an officialcourt judgement.[183][184] The AfD's leaders said that the decision was a "first important step" that would help "counter the accusation ofright-wing extremism".[185] The report by the BfV that led to the classification was later leaked to the public.[186][187]
For theLudwigshafen mayoral election in September 2025, the local election administration commission composed of members of other parties, decided that AfD candidate Joachim Paul would not appear on the ballot due to doubt about his support forconstitution, a move which was later upheld in court, despite Joachim Paul never having had his right to be a candidate in elections revoked by law or any court.[188] In August, five direct and two reserve AfD candidates died within 14 days of each other ahead of local elections inNorth Rhine-Westphalia.[189][190]
In 2015 more moderate members, including its founder and former chairmanBernd Lucke, left AfD afterFrauke Petry was elected chairperson to found a new party, the Alliance for Progress and Renewal, which was renamed theLiberal Conservative Reformers in November 2016.[203] When party founder Bernd Lucke had left AfD in 2015, he cited, among other reasons an "anti-western, decidedlypro-Russian foreign and security policy orientation" as well as increasing calls to "pose the 'system question' with regard to our parliamentary democracy" as reasons for his departure from the party.[53] At that time, AfD was performing poorly in opinion polls, polling at around 3%, and was suffering infighting; however, aninflux of refugees and migrants boosted their support later in 2015, with the party turning from matters related to the eurozone to focus on opposing migration, in particularMuslims and Muslim immigration.[204][205][199]
AfD underwent a further shift to the right after Petry left the party in 2017 and formedThe Blue Party, following AfD's adoption of more hardlineIslamophobic,anti-immigration positions, andhistorical revisionist remarks by leading AfD figures.[206][207][208] The party now resembles other populistradical right parties in Europe but is somewhat unusual because it maintains visible ties to even more extreme groups.[209] The party has been described by political scientists as more radical than many other European right-wing populist parties, including theSweden Democrats, theDanish People's Party, and theFreedom Party of Austria.[210] AfD has been described as, and accused of, containing members sympathetic to theIdentitarian movement[211] andPegida. The AfD leadership has been split on whether to embrace these movements within the party.[212]
In March 2020 theFederal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (German:Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz) classified AfD's far-right nationalistic faction known asDer Flügel as "a right-wing extremist endeavor against the free democratic basic order" and as "not compatible with the Basic Law", placing it under government surveillance.[213][214][44] In early March 2021 most of Germany's major media outlets reported that theBundesverfassungsschutz had placed the whole AfD under surveillance as a "suspected extremist group".[215][216] In response to claims from AfD members that the move was intended to damage the party's chances in the2021 German federal election, the agency stated it would not make public announcements regarding investigations into AfD or its candidates for the foreseeable future.[215][216] After the revelations, the surveillance was blocked by the courts to give equal opportunities among political parties in a key election year.[217][218][219]
In 2022 it was ruled that the BfV may classify and monitor the entire party as a suspected right-wing extremist group. A corresponding lawsuit by AfD was dismissed because "there were sufficient factual indications of anti-constitutional efforts within the AfD".[49] The dismissal was upheld in May 2024.[220] On 26 April 2023 the BfV, after four years of investigations into theYoung Alternative for Germany, categorized that group as a confirmed extremist organisation. This allowed the chief of the BfVThomas Haldenwang to place the youth wing under even more intensive surveillance than the tapping of phone and the use of undercover agents that had been the case until then.[221][222] In 2025, theFederal Office for the Protection of the Constitution officially classified AfD as a "confirmed right-wing extremist endeavor,"[171] which allows authorities to increase surveillance, and permits the use of informants and monitoring of communications.[172] The expertise by the BfV, that led to that classification, was later leaked to the public.[186][187]
Political commentators and analysts have described the party as containing two prominent factions: subscribers to the more dovish and moderate national-conservativeAlternative Mitte (Alternative Center) wing, such as the parliamentariansJörg Meuthen,Alice Weidel, andBeatrix von Storch, who oppose collaboration with movements or figures like the Pegida founderLutz Bachmann;[224][225] and the more hardline identitarianDer Flügel (The Wing) faction, comprising figures at state level such as Thuringia state leaderBjörn Höcke.[226][227] The political authorJeffrey Gedmin has described the present incarnation of AfD as somewhat lacking in a consistent ideological vision and containing abroad church of members who are conservatives, social conservatives, radical-rightists, and others who do not present clear ideological narrative. He also described some of its core voter support as ranging from far-right nationalists to moderate but traditionalist and disaffected conservatives.[194]
Over time a focus onGerman nationalism, on reclaiming Germany's sovereignty and national pride, especially in repudiation ofGermany's culture of shame with regard to itsNazi past, became more central in AfD's ideology and a central plank in its populist appeals.[26][27][28] Petry, who led the moderate wing of the party, said that Germany should reclaimvölkisch from its Nazi connotations,[228] while the more right-wing Björn Höcke regularly speaks of theVaterland ("fatherland") andVolk ("nation" or "people", but with a strong ethnic or racial connotation).[26]
In January 2017 Höcke in a speech stated, in reference to theBerlin Holocaust Memorial, that "Germans are the only people in the world who plant a monument of shame in the heart of the capital" and criticized this "laughable policy ofcoming to terms with the past".[229][230] Höcke continued that Germany should make a "180 degree" turn with regard to its sense of national pride.[26]
Some AfD members and candidates have expressed antisemitic attitudes. AfD leaders have repeatedly denied accusations ofantisemitism.[231][232] According to a study conducted by theForsa Institute in 2019, while 2% of the German populationagreed with the statement that "theHolocaust is propaganda of theAllied Powers", that proportion was 15% among AfD supporters.[233] In 2001, 12 years before the founding of AfD, the former AfDBundestag memberWilhelm von Gottberg expressed his views on theremembrance of theHolocaust by quoting the Italian neofascistMario Consoli in saying "Any pretext, no matter how flimsy [...], is good enough to remind people of the Holocaust. The propaganda steamroller is getting stronger rather than weaker over the years, and in more and more countries the Jewish 'truth' about the Holocaust is being given legal protection. The Holocaust must remain a myth, a dogma that is beyond the reach of any free historical research."[234]
In 2017, ten AfDBundestag members were found to have participated in a closedFacebook group named "the Patriots" in which, among other things,antisemitic,racist,pro-Nazi andconspiratorial posts were widespread. Onememe posted therein, which showed the Holocaust victimAnne Frank's face edited on apizza box labelled with the German equivalent of "fresh from the oven", gained particular media attention.[235][236] While some AfD officials stated that they had been unknowingly added to the Facebook group without consent and that they had now left it, the Bundestag memberStephan Protschka remained, saying: "I am a member of this group because I also see myself as a patriot."[237][238][239]
Josef Schuster, President of theCentral Council of Jews in Germany, stated in 2024 that he is "concerned that the AfD would deliberately act against Jewish life, if it fits into their concept", and that the party offersantisemites a home.[242][243] A study commissioned by theAmerican Jewish Committee in 2021 came to the conclusion thatantisemitism belongs to the "programmatic core" of the AfD. According to the study, the party conducts "targeted campaigns" against Jewish celebrities. The study's author,Lars Rensmann, stated that "despite some lip service to the contrary, hostility towards Israel, Holocaust relativization, antisemitic conspiracy thinking and anti-Jewish images occupy a prominent place" in AfD.[244]
AfD supportsa ban on kosher slaughter within the country, as well as the "import and sale of kosher meat".[245] AfD instead wants to require the stunning of animals before slaughter which is against both Jewish and Muslim religious law that both require animals to be conscious when their necks are cut.[246]
AfD describes Germannational identity as under threat both from European integration and from the presence and accommodation of immigrants and refugees within Germany.[27][28] Former leader Petry said in March 2016: "I'm not against immigration, but... the economic and social consequences of migration on both home and host countries are equally momentous.... The immigration of so many Muslims will change our culture. If this change is desired, it must be the product of a democratic decision supported by a broad majority. But Ms. Merkel simplyopened the borders and invited everybody in, without consulting the parliament or the people."[28]
In its programme, AfD wants to end what it describes as mass immigration and focus on taking in small numbers of skilled immigrants who are expected to integrate into society and speak German. It encourages German nationals to have more children, as opposed to trying to boost the German population through foreign migration. The party wants to review EU freedom of movement rules and states that immigrants must be employed and contribute to social security through paying taxes for at least four years before being allowed to receive state benefits. AfD calls formass deportations of foreign born criminals with multiple citizenship or permanent residency. The party describes the Geneva Convention on Refugees as "outdated", calls for stricter vetting of refugees, and believes the German government should invest in special economic and safe zones in third world nations as opposed to taking in large numbers of asylum seekers without background checks.[247]
AfD is critical ofmulticulturalism in Germany. The party favours banning theburqa, the Islamic call to prayer in public areas and the construction of new minarets, ending foreign funding of mosques and puttingimams through a state vetting procedure.[226]
AfD began to employanti-Muslim rhetoric during the leadership of Petry, who responded positively to comparisons between the party and Pegida.[248] In 2016 the party adopted several anti-Muslim positions and stated in its manifesto that "Islam does not belong to Germany. Its expansion and the ever-increasing number of Muslims in the country are viewed by the AfD as a danger to our state, our society, and our values."[248] The party has runa billboard campaign that explicitly referenced the far-rightEurabia conspiracy theory,[249] and the party has been seen to have been strongly influenced by,[250] and to be a part of thecounter-jihad movement.[251][252]
In January 2025 theKarlsruhe branch of the AfD initiated a controversial campaign by distributing flyers resemblingflight tickets labeled"Abschiebetickets" ("deportation tickets") in mailboxes. These flyers included a QR code linking to AfD Karlsruhe's website and were intended as promotional material for the upcoming Bundestag elections. The action prompted investigations by the criminal police on suspicions of incitement to hatred (Volksverhetzung).[253][254]
In January 2025, aftera deadly knife attack perpetrated by anAfghan migrant, who had noresidence permit, the CDU issued a motion regarding migration into the federal parliament, which attained a majority due to the AfD voting alongside the CDU.[255][256] With this motion, CDU leaderFriedrich Merz ignored his own proposal, uttered in November 2024, to only put questions to the vote that would find a majority without the AfD.[257] The Bundestag went on to reject the CDU's proposed legislation a few days later, largely due to a dozen CDU legislators abstaining, a decision seen to be sparked by the AfD-related controversy.[258]
Society
LGBT rights
AfD election posters. The poster on the left translates as "German language withoutgender neutrality"; that on the right as "Only the original".
According to its interim electoral manifesto, AfD opposessame-sex marriage and favourscivil unions.[247] AfD deputy leaderBeatrix von Storch has publicly opposed same-sex marriage. In an effort to overturn same-sex marriage laws, AfD filed a lawsuit over the issue in 2017.[259]
Alternative for Germany is an anti-abortion party.[263][264] The AfD has described its position as "pro-life" and rejects any state support for abortion.[265]
Feminism
The left-leaning newspaperDie Tageszeitung described the party as advocating "old gender roles".[266] Wolfgang Gedeon, an elected AfD representative, has included feminism, along with "sexualism" and "migrationism", in an ideology he calls "green communism" that he opposes, and argues forfamily values as part of German identity.[267] As AfD has campaigned for traditional roles for women, it has aligned itself with groups opposed tomodern feminism.[268] The youth wing of the party has used social media to campaign against aspects of modern feminism, with the support of party leadership.[269]
AfD has a platform ofclimate change denial.[247][271][272] AfD accepts that the climate is changing, however, it denies that this change is attributable to human influences.[272] Instead the party argues that climate change is entirely caused by natural factors. AfD argues that the rising carbon dioxide concentrations have been beneficial (contributed to a "greening" of Earth).[273] Next to its climate change denial, AfD opposes far-reaching climate policies: The party opposes energy transformation policies (Energiewende), wants to scrap theGerman Renewable Energy Act, the German Energy Saving Regulations, and the German Renewable Energy Heat Act. They also want to end bioenergy subsidies and restrict "uncontrolled expansion of wind energy".[247] The party rejects theEuropean Green Deal and has warned against thedeindustrialization of Europe.[274]
Energy
The party argues that theenergy transition threatens energy security, possibly leading to energy blackouts. It, therefore, viewslignite as the only native energy source that can guarantee German energy security andenergy self-sufficiency.[272] Furthermore, AfD wants to reinstate Germany'snuclear plants, arguing that closures between 2002 and 2011 were "economically damaging and not objectively justified". The party argues that the government should "allow a lifetime extension of still operating nuclear power plants on a transitional basis".[247] The party opposes the criminalization ofecocide in the European Union, withGunnar Beck, an MEP for AfD, stating that "recognizing crimes against the environment as a violation of human rights and even war crimes is yet another grotesque inflation of the human rights doctrine."[275]
While AfD had been pro-NATO andpro-United States during thefirst Trump administration, it had been sharply critical of theBiden administration.[277] It was significantly divided on whether to supportRussia,[278] but has since moved to a pro-Russian direction, opposing sanctions on Russia supported by NATO and the United States and calling for an end to military aid to Ukraine.[43] It is also divided onfree-trade agreements.[278] In March 2019, party leader Alexander Gauland said in an interview with the Russian newspaperKomsomolskaya Pravda that they consider thewar in Donbas to be a Ukrainian internal matter, and that Germany should not get involved in the internal affairs of Ukraine or Russia. He also said AfD is againstinternational sanctions on Russia.[279] AfD members have called for a more independent stance from the United States.[280][281] The party has also endorsed accusations that the United States was involved in the2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage.[282] AfD has also called NATO's anti-Russian stance overly ideological and detrimental to Germany's interests.[283] A large number of AfD delegates boycotted Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy in June 2024 when he gave a speech to theBundestag.[43] In February 2025, some high-ranking AfD members criticized Chrupalla's pro-Moscow position on foreign policy.[284]
AnOrganized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) investigation from February 2023 found evidence that AfD is a key ally for the International Agency for Current Policy, an organization established by Russian parliamentary staffer Sargis Mirzakhanian whose internal documents describe it as a "closed association of professionals" engaged in a variety of pro-Russian activities.[285] These include organizing streetprotests against NATO, bringing European delegations to Moscow and Crimea, and targeting "national parliaments of the EU" with resolutions to endEU sanctions on Russia and to grant recognition toRussia's annexation of Crimea.[285] Internal emails, including some from Mirzakhanyan, document substantial payments to EU politicians made in exchange for pro-Kremlin motions in their home countries, and toManuel Ochsenreiter [de] for publishing pro-Russian propaganda in hisZuerst! magazine.[285]
In August 2023 a journalist investigation was published byThe Insider, describing how money was funnelled from Moscow to AfD politicians who initiated a constitutional complaint in Germany against the supplies of weapons for Ukraine.[286] The AfD supportedpeace negotiations on the Russo-Ukrainian War with the participation of Russia.[287]
AfD initially held a position ofsoft Euroscepticism by opposing the euro currency and eurozone bailouts, which the party saw as undermining European integration, but it was otherwise supportive of German membership of theEuropean Union (EU).[196]
Since 2015, the party has shifted to a more purelyEurosceptic and nationalist position against the EU, calling for the withdrawal from the common European asylum and security policy, significant reform of the EU and a repatriation of powers back from Brussels with some party members endorsing a complete exit from the European Union if these aims are not achievable.[291][292][293][294]
During the 2021 party conference inDresden, a majority of AfD members voted to include more hardline policies against the European Union including German withdrawal from the bloc in the party's manifesto ahead of the2021 German federal election.[295][296][297]
Since 2025 the AfD has been working with Hungary's nationalistprime minister,Viktor Orbán. Alice Weidel praised Hungary as a model for AfD, saying that AfD shares Hungary's opposition to illegal immigration and stance on the European Union.[298] In February 2025 Weidel stated about AfD's policy towards the European Union: "We should work together to reform the European Union at all costs. And that can only be done from within. We can achieve this by reducing thecompetences of the European Union, by dismantling the entire bureaucratic, expensive — and, in my view, corrupt — superstructure."[299]
Middle East
The party had previously beenpro-Israel.[22][300][301] AfD supported the decision of US presidentDonald Trump to recognizeJerusalem as Israel's capital, as stated by AfD'sPetr Bystron. Despite AfD's pro-Israel stance, the State of Israel has boycotted the party and refuses to hold ties with AfD.[300] The party was divided over the2023 Israel-Hamas war, with party leader Chrupalla condemning the2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel but calling for diplomacy between the two sides and mourning deaths on both sides, while other MPs, such asNorbert Kleinwächter andRüdiger Lucassen were critical of Chrupalla's position and openly defended Israeli actions during the conflict.[302] Following the Hamas attack, the party supported cuts in German aid to Palestine via theUNRWA.[303]
In 2024 AfD reversed its previously pro-Israel position, with co-leaderTino Chrupalla calling for an end to Germany's current relationship with Israel, which Chrupalla described as "one-sided", as well as an end toarms exports to Israel during the Gaza war.[304] This decision drew criticism from some other members of the AfD parliamentary group, suggesting a continued internal divide on the issue.[305] Chrupalla criticized theGerman government's support for Israel during theGaza war and rejected "blanket"Islamophobia. Some AfD members condemned thegenocide in Gaza.[304] Nevertheless, in January 2025, the other co-leader,Alice Weidel, affirmed her support for Israel, but noted that she "didn't know how she would solve this conflict".[306] Chrupalla and Weidel have been described as divided on the issue of Israel, with Weidel continuing to affirm German support for Israel's right to self-defence.[307] Following theJune 2025 Israeli strikes on Iran, AfD foreign policy spokespersonMarkus Frohnmaier expressed support for a diplomatic solution and called on both sides to cease hostilities, while insisting that Iran should not pursue a nuclear weapons programme.[308]
Although the Israeli Foreign Ministry continues to have no contact with AfD,[309] Israeli Diaspora Affairs ministerAmichai Chikli has praised several of AfD's policy stances and expressed support for Weidel, while criticisinghistorical revisionist elements within the party, represented byMaximilian Krah andBjörn Höcke.[310][311]
In 2018 and 2019, AfD Bundestag members visitedBa'athist Syria, meeting with senior officials from the government ofBashar al-Assad and advocating for the return of Syrian refugees.[312][313]
Asia
AfD views onChina have varied. The party had previously demanded the German government to strip the "developing country" status for China, voicing opposition to "Chinese economic espionage" and opposing Chinese state-owned companyCOSCO Shipping buying of a stake in thePort of Hamburg.[314]
However, it started changing its position in 2023, with AfD's Bundestag caucus accusing foreign ministerAnnalena Baerbock and economic affairs ministerRobert Habeck of launching an "economic war" against China.[314] AfD has also criticized restrictions on the use of 5G material from Chinese companiesHuawei andZTE. AfD leaderTino Chrupalla has also voiced opposition to restrictions on Chinese technology and backed Chinese foreign ministerQin Gang on his peace-brokering efforts for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.[314]
AfD currently calls for closer economic, cultural and scientific relations with China.[315] Nevertheless, in their manifesto for the 2025 federal election, AfD has also called for limits in the involvement of Chinese companies in Germany's seaports and digital infrastructure.[316] It is also opposed to further development aid, including those that would benefit climate change programs or Chinese students in Germany.[315]
Because the 2013 federal election was the first attempt to join by the party, AfD had not received any federal funds in the run-up to it;[322] by receiving 2 million votes, it crossed the threshold for party funding and was expected to receive an estimated 1.3 to 1.5 million euros per year of state subsidies.[323] After joining the parliament with more than 90 representatives in the 2017 federal election, the party received more than 70 million euros per year; this probably rose to more than 100 million euros per year from 2019 onward. The party has also established and acknowledged a foundation for political education, and other purposes, close to the party but organized separately, which may be able to claim up to 80 million euros per year.[324] This foundation would need to be acknowledged by the federal parliament in Germany first, but it has a legal claim to these subsidies.
In 2018 theAlternative for Germany donation scandal became public, as federal and European Parliament politicians Alice Weidel, Jörg Meuthen, Marcus Pretzell, andGuido Reil had profited from illegal and unnamed donations from non-EU countries. The acceptance of donations from non-EU countries is prohibited for German parties and politicians.
Young Alternative for Germany (German:Junge Alternative für Deutschland, JA) was founded in 2013 as the youth organisation of AfD, while remaining legally independent from its mother party.[64] In view of JA's independence, it has been regarded by some in AfD's hierarchy as being somewhat wayward,[325] with JA repeatedly accused of being "too far-right",[326] politically regressive andantifeminist by the German mainstream media.[325][327][328]
In December 2024 the main party of the AfD announced its intention to cut ties with the JA in connection to its classification by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. AfD leadership are planning to found a new organisation as its youth wing.[329] On 12 January 2025, AfD leadership voted to formally replace the JA as its youth organisation.[330]
The AfD initially maintained close cooperation with the FrenchNational Rally and Marine Le Pen. In February 2024, it was reported that the relations between the two parties had become strained after AfD spokesmen attended the2023 Potsdam far-right meeting. In response, the AfD's leadership held a meeting with Le Pen and denied endorsing the words of some of the people at the meeting.[337][338]
In May 2024, it was reported that the National Rally and other members of the Identity and Democracy group had announced they would no longer sit with the AfD following the2024 European Parliament election after AfD's lead candidate for the electionMaximilian Krah made remarks in an interview on Nazi Germany and allegedly suggested that not all members of theWaffen-SS should be seen as criminals.[339][340] Italy'sLega and the CzechFreedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) backed the National Rally's decision and announced they would also formally cease cooperation with the AfD while theDanish People's Party issued an ultimatum that they would only continue working with AfD on the condition of Krah's removal. The FlemishVlaams Belang criticized Krah's words as "increasingly problematic" but declined to immediately expel the AfD faction, stating they preferred to review the situation after the election. The EstonianEKRE and theFPÖ supported expelling Krah but opposed the expulsion of AfD. After an internal meeting and vote, the Identity and Democracy board subsequently agreed to expel AfD, with group leaderMarco Zanni citing Krah's interview, as well as allegations of Chinese and Russian espionage influence on AfD. The party consequently moved tonon-inscrits.[341][342][343] Following the decision, AfD said they would negotiate to rejoin the group and announced Krah would not sit with the AfD faction in the European Parliament after the election.[162]
In the United States, AfD has connections with formerDepartment of Government Efficiency leaderElon Musk[362] and groups associated with theRepublican Party, particularly theYoung Republicans.[363][364] In response to the German domestic intelligence agency 2025 classification of the party as a "confirmed right-wing extremist endeavor" permitting monitoring of it, US Vice PresidentJD Vance wrote, "The West tore down the Berlin Wall together. And it has been rebuilt – not by the Soviets or the Russians, but by the German establishment.” US secretary of stateMarco Rubio also wrote "Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That’s not democracy – it’s tyranny in disguise."[365]
At the outset, AfD presented itself asconservative andmiddle-class, catering to a well-educated demographic; around two-thirds of supporters listed on its website in the early days held doctorates, leading to AfD being nicknamed the "professors' party" in its early days.[371][372][373] The party was described as professors and academics who dislike the compromises inflicted on their purist theories by German party politics.[374] 86% of the party's initial supporters were male.[74]
Outside the Berlin hotel where the party held its inaugural meeting, it has been alleged that copies ofJunge Freiheit, a weekly that is also popular with the far right, were being handed out.[375] TheRheinische Post pointed out that some AfD members and supporters write for the conservative paper.[67][376] There was also a protest outside the venue of the party's inaugural meeting by Andreas Storr, aNational Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) representative in theLandtag of Saxony, as the NPD sees AfD as a rival for Eurosceptic votes.[377]
In 2013, AfD party organizers sent out the message that they are not trying to attract right-wing radicals and toned down rhetoric on theirFacebook page following media allegations that it too closely evoked the language of the far right.[371][378] At that time, AfD checked applicants for membership to excludefar-right and former NPD members who support the anti-euro policy.[371][372][379] The former party chairman Bernd Lucke stated that "[t]he applause is coming from the wrong side", regarding praise his party gained from the NPD.[371]
Members ofAlliance 90/Green Party have accused AfD of pandering to xenophobic and nationalistic sentiments.[380] There have been altercations between AfD members andGreen Youth members.[380] Following the 2013 federal election, the anti-IslamGerman Freedom Party unilaterally pledged to support AfD in the 2014 elections and concentrate its efforts on local elections only.[381] Bernd Lucke responded by saying that the German Freedom Party's support was unwanted and sent a letter to AfD party associations recommending a hiring freeze.[382]
Stern reported that among 396 AfD candidates for the 2017 Bundestag, 47 candidates did not distance themselves from right-wing extremism. Although a large proportion of the candidates are not openly racist, some relativize Germany's role in World War II or call for the recognition of a "Cult of Guilt". 30 candidates claimed to tolerate right-wing friends in their profile or were themselves members of groups associated with such people; others said that they mourned theGerman Reich or used their symbols.[383]
On 24 June 2024 it was announced that two parliamentary groups consisting of members of the AfD andDie Heimat formerly the NPD, had been formed in theBrandenburg town ofLauchhammer and the district ofOberspreewald-Lausitz. In Lauchhammer, the joint parliamentary group will be represented in the town council under the name "AfDplus", while the "Heimat & Zukunft" parliamentary group has been formed in the district council of Oberspreewald-Lausitz. Thomas Gürtler fromDie Heimat will play a leading role in both bodies. This development is seen as the first official coalition between AfD and the far-right partyDie Heimat. The formation of the parliamentary groups was supported by statements made by AfD chairmanTino Chrupalla, who emphasised that there would be no "firewalls" to other parties at local level.[386]
Refugees
In 2016 AfD MEPMarcus Pretzell was expelled from the party after he said that German borders should be defended from incursion by refugees "with armed force as a measure of last resort".[103] Later that same year, former AfDparty chair and MEPFrauke Petry told a reporter from the regional newspaperMannheimer Morgen that the German Border police must do their jobs by "hindering illegal entry of refugees" and that they may "use firearms if necessary" to "prevent illegal border crossings".[387][388] Petry later stated that no policeman "wants to fire on a refugee and I don't want that either" but that border police must follow the law to maintain the integrity of European borders. Afterwards, Petry made several attempts to justify these statements.[388]
In response to thePegida movement and demonstrations, members of AfD have expressed different opinions of it, with Lucke describing the movement as "a sign that these people do not feel their concerns are understood by politicians".[389] In response to the CDU Interior MinisterThomas de Maizière alleging an "overlap" between Pegida rallies and AfD, Alexander Gauland stated that AfD are "natural allies of this movement".[390] Hans-Olaf Henkel asked members of the party not to join the demonstrations, tellingDer Tagesspiegel that he believed it could not be ruled out that they had "xenophobic or even racist connotations".[389] A straw poll byThe Economist found that nine out of ten Pegida protesters would back the AfD.[391]
Neo-Nazi controversies
Björn Höcke at a rally for the 2019 state election
In January 2017Björn Höcke, one of the founders of AfD,[392][393][394][395] gave a speech inDresden in which, referring to theMemorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, he stated that "we Germans are the only people in the world who have planted a memorial of shame in the heart of their capital",[396] and suggested that Germans "need to make a 180 degree change in their politics of commemoration".[397] The speech was widely criticized asantisemitic orneo-Nazi, among others by Jewish leaders in Germany.[396][398] Within AfD, he was described by his party chairwoman,Frauke Petry, as a "burden to the party", while other members of the party, such asAlexander Gauland, said that they found no antisemitism in the speech.[396]
In February 2017, AfD leaders asked for Höcke to be expelled from the party due to his speech. The arbitration committee of AfD inThuringia was set to rule on the leaders' request.[399] In May 2018, an AfD tribunal ruled that Höcke was allowed to stay in the party.[400]
The AfD politicianMatthias Helferich had described himself in social media messages as the "friendly face of the ns [sic]," referring toNational Socialism. Helferich also called himself a "democraticFreisler," referring to a Nazi-era judge.[401]
In January 2024 it was revealed that senior members of the party, includingRoland Hartwig, then advisor to party co-leaderAlice Weidel, attended ameeting alongside neo-Nazi influencers, where plans for the deportation of millions of "asylum seekers", "non-assimilated people", and those with "non-German backgrounds" were discussed, including those with German citizenship and residency rights.[402] The event triggered the2024 German anti-extremism protests.
In May 2024, Höcke was convicted and fined €13,000 by the state court inHalle for deliberately using a banned slogan"Alles für Deutschland", associated with the Nazi Party'sparamilitary wing, in a May 2021 campaign speech.[403] In the same month, the party memberMaximilian Krah defence of theWaffen-SS caused controversy.[404][405]
Following the2025 federal election it was confirmed that Maximillian Krah and Matthias Helferich would be joining the parliament.[406][407]
'Extremist' designation
On 2 May 2025 the German domestic intelligence agency,Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV), published a report spanning 1,100 pages which sought to assess whether the AfD should be designated as an 'extremist' group. Central to its thesis was the party's anti-Muslim stance, and it favouring national and ethnic Germans over migrants. AfD denounced its designation as politically motivated attempt to discredit and criminalize it. The designation opens the possibility of civil servants belonging to the AfD facing dismissal depending on their role within the entity, according to the country's interior ministry.[408] In response, the AfD filed a lawsuit.[409]
The Germandomestic secret service reported based on its findings that Russia is trying to "destabilize the democratic system of Germany on many levels." According to the head of the serviceThomas Haldenwang, Russian narratives are being spread by parts of the AfD and are contributing to expansion of right-wing populism.[410][411]
AfD members and activists were listed as keeping close ties with Russian politicians and receiving financial benefits in anOCCRP investigation of Russia's International Agency for Current Policy.[412]
Initiatives and Networks
Vadar
The AfD PoliticiansEugen Schmidt,Olga Petersen, andUlrich Oehme founded the “Association for the Prevention of Discrimination and Exclusion of Russian-Germans and Russian-speaking Fellow Citizens in Germany” (Vadar e.V.) in June 2022.[413] The association attests that Germany has an “anti-Russian mood” and wants to offer legal help to “Russian-Germans and Russian-speaking fellow citizens” who would be discriminated against or excluded by the war of aggression.[414] The association says it financed the legal representation of pro-Russian influencerAlina Lipp and is opposed to the German ban on theRussian military and propaganda symbolZ.[413][415] The association deniesRussian war crimes in the Russo-Ukrainian War.[416][417]
According to a report in theSächsische Zeitung, Vadar shares a bank account with an institution that is majority Russian-owned. According to German public broadcaster ARD, German security authorities are investigating the association connections to Russian authorities.[414]
International Agency for Current Policy
AnOrganized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) investigation from February 2023 found evidence that AfD is a key ally for the International Agency for Current Policy, an organization established by Russian parliamentary staffer Sargis Mirzakhanian whose internal documents describe it as a “closed association of professionals" engaged in a variety of pro-Russian activities.[412] These include organizing streetprotests against NATO, bringing European delegations to Moscow and Crimea, and targeting “national parliaments of the EU” with resolutions to endEU sanctions on Russia and to grant recognition toRussia’s annexation of Crimea.[412] Internal emails, including some from Mirzakhanyan, document substantial payments to EU politicians made in exchange for pro-Kremlin motions in their home countries, and to journalist and AfD memberManuel Ochsenreiter [de] for publishing pro-Russian propaganda in hisZuerst! magazine.[412]
^The AfD is a völkisch nationalist party, a type ofethnonationalism that defines the German nation in racial terms.[3][4][5] The party is sometimes referred to asright-wing populist ornational conservative, particularly in the press, but these designations have not received much support from academics, who describe them as euphemistic.[6][7]
^abSalzborn, Samuel (2019). "Antisemitism in the "Alternstive for Germany" Party". In Langenbacher, Eric (ed.).Twilight of the Merkel Era: Power and Politics in Germany after the 2017 Bundestag Election. New York: Berghahn. p. 254.ISBN978-1-78920-264-9.The relatively new party known as the Alternative for Germany (Alternative für Deutschland, AfD) and its relationship to right-wing extremism have been the subject of a great deal of intensive discussion among political and social scientists. While one stream of research focuses primarily on the strategic aspects of the AfD, such as its populist rhetoric and use of social media, another devotes more attention to the worldview of the AfD, and its increasing radicalization from a right-wing conservative party to a right-wing extremist one... It has become undeniable that the AfD has now adopted large parts of the far-right tradition, including racism and völkisch nationalism (a form of ethnonationalism) as central components with an ideology of inequality, alongside nationalist protectionism and anti-EU economic positions, an emphatic rejection of parliamentarianism and representative democracy, and a long-standing antifeminism and hostility towards gender equality.
^abcHavertz, Ralf (30 March 2021). "Völkisch nationalism as core ideology".Radical Right Populism in Germany: AfD, Pegida, and the Identitarian Movement. Taylor & Francis.ISBN9781000368864.Within only a few years the party changed its ideological position significantly and moved gradually but rapidly further to the far-right fringe, with a combination of populism, authoritarianism, volkish nationalism, and xenophobia as the central elements of their ideology.
^abFitzi, Gregor; Mackert, Jürgen; Turner, Bryan Stanley (2019).Populism and the crisis of democracy. Routledge advances in sociology. London New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis group. p. 7.ISBN978-1-351-60898-5.Why should we denote Germany's AfD... as right-wing populist? Too often it seems that 'populism' operates [inaccurately] as a kind of euphemism for (neo-)fascism.
Heinze, Anna-Sophie (1 March 2021)."Zum schwierigen Umgang mit der AfD in den Parlamenten: Arbeitsweise, Reaktionen, Effekte" [On the difficult handling of the AfD in parliaments: working methods, reactions, effects].Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft (in German).31 (1):133–150.doi:10.1007/s41358-020-00245-0.ISSN2366-2638.Der 2013 gegründeten 'Alternative für Deutschland' (AfD) gelang es – anders als früheren Rechtsaußenparteien wie der NPD, DVU oder den Republikanern ... [English: The 'Alternative for Germany' (AfD) party founded in 2013 succeeded – unlike earlier far-right parties such as the NPD, DVU or the Republicans ...
^Lochocki, Timo[in German] (10 June 2025)."The kids are all right: What Germany's conservative turn means for Europe".ECFR. Retrieved17 August 2025."Germany's federal election in February shattered political precedent: a far-right party, the Alternative for Germany, surged into second place for the first time in the federal republic's history and a newly elected chancellor broke a longstanding taboo by signalling a willingness to cooperate with them." "These developments reflect a broader shift. Younger conservatives are more likely to embrace hardline policies and far-right parties; their opinions are less influenced by Germany's post-war legacy and the Holocaust. This is pushing the new government towards more nationalistic domestic policies and a more assertive foreign policy.
D'Ottavio; Saafeld, Thomas (2016).Germany After the 2013 Elections: Breaking the Mould of Post-Unification Politics?. Routledge.ISBN9781317128373.Beyond economic liberalism, the AfD fosters rather more conservative core issues, such as traditional forms of morality and political authority.
Muzergues, Thibault (2019).The Great Class Shift: How New Social Class Structures are Redefining Western Politics. Routledge.ISBN9781000727432.Created in 2013, first and foremost as a libertarian and Eurosceptic party, ... .
Close, Caroline (2019).Liberal Parties in Europe. Routledge. p. 157.ISBN9781351245494.
Havertz, Ralf (2021).Radical Right Populism in Germany: AfD, Pegida, and the Identitarian Movement. Routledge.ISBN9781000368888.The founders of the AfD party were a group of economic liberal, ... .
Lux, Thomas (June 2018). "Die AfD und die unteren Statuslagen. Eine Forschungsnotiz zu Holger Lengfelds Studie Die 'Alternative für Deutschland': eine Partei für Modernisierungsverlierer?".KZFSS Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie.70 (2):255–273.doi:10.1007/s11577-018-0521-2.S2CID149934029.
^Horn, Heather (27 May 2016)."The Voters Who Want Islam Out of Germany".The Atlantic.Archived from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved22 January 2018.The AfD's founder Bernd Lucke, an economics professor, left the party last summer, condemning rising xenophobia.
^abLachmann, Günther (3 March 2013)."Anti-Euro-Partei geißelt die Politik der Kanzlerin" [Anti-euro party lashes out at politics of Chancellor Merkel].Die Welt (in German).Archived from the original on 5 December 2016. Retrieved2 May 2013.'Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland ist in der schwersten Krise ihrer Geschichte. Das Euro-Währungsgebiet hat sich als ungeeignet erwiesen. Südeuropäische Staaten verarmen unter dem Wettbewerbsdruck des Euro. Ganze Staaten stehen am Rande der Zahlungsunfähigkeit.' [The Federal Republic of Germany is in the gravest crisis of its history. The euro currency area has shown itself to be unfit for purpose. Countries in southern Europe are sinking into poverty under the competitive pressure of the euro. Whole countries are on the brink of bankruptcy.]
^"Unsere Kandidaten für Europa" [Our candidates for Europe].Alternative für Deutschland (in German). Archived fromthe original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved3 February 2014.
^Moulson, Geir (4 September 2016)."Nationalists overtake Merkel's party in German state vote".Associated Press.Archived from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved27 December 2021.The three-year-old Alternative for Germany, or AfD, won 21 to 22 percent of votes in the election for the state legislature in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, according to projections for ARD and ZDF television based on exit polls and partial counting. They put support for Merkel's Christian Democrats between 19 and 20 percent, their worst result yet in the state.
^"Berlin 2016". 19 September 2016. Archived fromthe original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved19 September 2016.
^Gómez, Martín González; Marcus, Ilana; Lee, Jasmine C.; Schuetze, Christopher F.; Holder, Josh; Chang, Agnes (23 February 2025)."Germany Election Maps: How Conservatives Regained Power".The New York Times. Retrieved24 February 2025.
^abCaiani, Manuela; Císař, Ondřej (2018).Radical Right Movement Parties in Europe. Routledge.ISBN9781351342797.
^abGedmin, Jeffrey (4 December 2019)."How 'populist' is the AfD?". Brookings Institution.Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved31 October 2021.
^Payerhin, Mayek (2017).Nordic, Central, and Southeastern Europe 2017-2018. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 254.
^"Germany's far-right AfD: Victim or victor?". BBC. 2 September 2019.Archived from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved25 October 2020.The AfD ran a politically savvy campaign. It tapped into historical grievances in former communist eastern Germany, by co-opting phrases from the dissident movement that brought down the Berlin Wall 30 years ago. The AfD posters demanded a 'Wende 2.0', using the German word for the peaceful revolution that brought down East German communism, and the AfD leaders compared Mrs Merkel's government to the Stasi secret police.
^Knight, Ben (7 March 2016)."What does the AfD stand for?". Deutsche Welle.Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved19 January 2017.It's skeptical of climate change and against Germany's energy transition.
^abBrandt, Linda (2015)."Populist Parties in Germany, France, and the UK: Growing Support for a Radical Rejection of Globalization?".International ResearchScape Journal.3: 19.doi:10.25035/irj.03.01.04.Archived from the original on 23 June 2017. Retrieved1 March 2018.Likewise, the AfD professes its desire to maintain an intimate security relationship with the US, stating NATO is, and remains, the bond of a transatlantic security architecture, whose crucial anchor is the alliance with the USA."38 However, it also expresses a need for a closer relationship with Russia to resolve problems in Eastern Europe. However, a resolution passed that calls for an end to European sanctions imposed on Russia, and to abstain from further measures designed to bind Ukraine and EU or Ukraine and Russia closer together, has led some to charge the party with anti-Americanism.39 The debate about a more pro-American or pro-Russian course appears to divide the AfD deeply, and opinions differ significantly among even the party leadership, as a Die Welt article reports.
^"Hampel: Die Rolle der USA als Weltpolizist ist ausgespielt" [Hampel: The USA's role as the world's policeman has been played out].AfD-Fraktion im deutschen Bundestag (Press release) (in German). 1 September 2021.Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved7 June 2023.
^"The delimitation of Sosoacă: Not even the German extremists from AfD want to associate with her and Lazarus".Spotmedia.ro. 28 June 2024.Archived from the original on 2 September 2024. Retrieved3 July 2024.AfD MEP Cristine Andreson confirmed to G4Media that Șoșoacă and Lazarus will not be accepted into the Sovereigntists group. 'I had a discussion with the SOS representatives and we unanimously decided not to accept them into the group. I would prefer not to discuss the reasons for the rejection,' Anderson stated.
^"Polish far-right Confederation MEPs split, join separate far-right EU groups".Euractiv. 11 July 2024.Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved25 July 2024.According to Die Welt, this resulted from the AfD's decision. 'The AfD's condition was that they do not want to cooperate with Poland's Grzegorz Braun' for the reasons of his statements about the Holocaust, among other things, Die Welt reported.
^"Harald Weyel: Conference in Florida – together for liberal politics".Presseportal. 18 April 2024.Archived from the original on 4 August 2024. Retrieved2 September 2024.Prof. Dr. Harald Weyel, deputy treasurer of the AfD, took part in a panel discussion of the youth organization of the US Republican Party in Tampa on April 13.
Arzheimer, Kai, and Carl C. Berning. "How the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and their voters veered to the radical right, 2013–2017."Electoral Studies 60 (2019): 102040.
Diermeier, Matthias. "The AfD's Winning Formula – No Need for Economic Strategy Blurring in Germany."Intereconomics 55.1 (2020): 43–52.online
Franz, Christian, Marcel Fratzscher, and Alexander Kritikos. "At opposite poles: How the success of the Green Party and AfD reflects the geographical and social cleavages in Germany."DIW Weekly Report 9.34 (2019): 289–300.online
Hansen, Michael A., and Jonathan Olsen. "Flesh of the same flesh: A study of voters for the alternative for Germany (AfD) in the 2017 federal election."German Politics 28.1 (2019): 1–19.online
Havertz, Ralf. "Right-wing populism and neoliberalism in Germany: The AfD's embrace of ordoliberalism."New Political Economy 24.3 (2019): 385–403.
Jesse, Eckhard;Mannewitz, Tom[in German] (2024). "Die Alternative für Deutschland" [The Alternative for Germany]. In Jesse, Eckhard; Mannewitz, Tom (eds.).Extremismusforschung: Handbuch für Wissenschaft und Praxis [Research of Extremism: A Handbook for Study and Practice] (in German). Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG. pp. 601–621.doi:10.5771/9783748934677.ISBN978-3-7489-3467-7.
Küppers, Anne. "'Climate-Soviets,' 'Alarmism,' and 'Eco-Dictatorship': The Framing of Climate Change Scepticism by the Populist Radical Right Alternative for Germany."German Politics (2022)online.
The Left: is currently only in the state parliaments ofBerlin, Bremen,Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia.
BSW: is currently only in the state parliaments of Berlin, Brandenburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony, and Thuringia.
FW: is currently only in the state parliaments ofBavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony; does not participate in state elections inBrandenburg, an associated partyBVB/FW participates here.
_by_taking_down_election_posters%3b_Symbolic_image%3b_Shooting_location_Sebnitz_in_Saxony%3b.jpg)
.jpg)
.JPG)
