Erfurt (Germany), Jul. 4 (LaPresse) – Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla have both been re-elected as co-chairs of the AfD, during the federal party congress that opened in Erfurt under heavy security and with thousands of protesters in the streets. Weidel, according to Bild, received 81.3% of the vote, while Chrupalla stopped at 70%. In the elections two years ago, he had obtained 82.7% of the vote. A decline that, according to the German media, is a clear signal of internal power dynamics within the German far right. Thousands of protesters tried to disrupt the AfD congress, and some clashed with riot police outside the meeting venue. The far-right party gathered to elect its leaders and sought to project unity by extending the mandate of Weidel and Chrupalla, who have led the party for four years. The protests outside the congress highlighted how the AfD has divided Germany, becoming the main opposition party nationwide and the strongest political force in former communist East Germany. The congress began as scheduled despite the demonstrations. “There are no peaceful roadblocks. There are no democratic blockades. Nor are there gangs of thugs who deserve the harmless label of ‘civil society’. These rioters are the last resort of our political opponents,” Chrupalla said during the meeting. The congress also sparked further controversy because it coincides with the centenary of a Nazi Party meeting held nearby, which consolidated Adolf Hitler’s power. Historians and political opponents say the timing carries strong symbolic meaning, an accusation the AfD rejects.
Germany, Weidel and Chrupalla re-elected as AfD co-leaders
Erfurt (Germany), Jul. 4 (LaPresse) – Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla have both been re-elected as co-chairs of the AfD, during the federal party congress that opened in Erfurt under heavy security and with thousands of protesters in the streets. Weidel, according to Bild, received 81.3% of the vote, while Chrupalla stopped at 70%. In the elections two years ago, he had obtained 82.7% of the vote. A decline that, according to the German media, is a clear signal of internal power dynamics within the German far right. Thousands of protesters tried to disrupt the AfD congress, and some clashed with riot police outside the meeting venue. The far-right party gathered to elect its leaders and sought to project unity by extending the mandate of Weidel and Chrupalla, who have led the party for four years. The protests outside the congress highlighted how the AfD has divided Germany, becoming the main opposition party nationwide and the strongest political force in former communist East Germany. The congress began as scheduled despite the demonstrations. “There are no peaceful roadblocks. There are no democratic blockades. Nor are there gangs of thugs who deserve the harmless label of ‘civil society’. These rioters are the last resort of our political opponents,” Chrupalla said during the meeting. The congress also sparked further controversy because it coincides with the centenary of a Nazi Party meeting held nearby, which consolidated Adolf Hitler’s power. Historians and political opponents say the timing carries strong symbolic meaning, an accusation the AfD rejects.
