German nationalists’ elect top duo for election
Print Edition
GERMANY’S nationalist party Alternative for Germany yesterday elected two new top candidates for the September general election after the party’s best-known politician Frauke Petry said she would no longer be available.
Members of the far-right party, known by its acronym AfD, elected Alexander Gauland and Alice Weidel at their weekend party convention in Cologne.
Divisions erupted among the different factions of the German nationalists as delegates from the AfD rejected an appeal on Saturday by Petry to seek a more pragmatic political path instead of turning into a “fundamental opposition” party.
Gauland, 76, is one of the party’s most prominent members and considered one of Petry’s main rivals. He belongs to the more far-right leaders of the party.
Weidel, 38, is a consultant from southwestern Germany who has not stood in the spotlight of the four-year-old party so far.
The delegates also voted for an election manifesto that is harsh on immigration and Muslims and reiterates calls for leaving the European Union’s euro currency.
The conference in Cologne was overshadowed by massive protests on Saturday, when tens of thousands rallied against the populist party and blocked access to the hotel where the convention took place. Yesterday, the city remained relatively calm and police reported only a few small demonstrations.
AfD’s poll ratings soared amid the influx of migrants to Germany in late 2015 and early 2016. However, they have sagged in recent months as the issue faded from headlines and the party became increasingly mired in infighting.
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