Weidel

Weidel. Alice Weidel is a German politician and economist who serves as a co-leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, a position she has held since 2022 alongside Tino Chrupalla. A former management consultant and investment banker, Weidel entered politics with the AfD, initially focusing on Eurozone criticism before becoming a prominent figure on the party's national-conservative wing. She has been a member of the Bundestag since 2017, where she leads the AfD parliamentary group, and is known for her sharp critiques of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government, European Union policies, and Germany's immigration stance.

Early life and education

Alice Weidel was born in 1979 in Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia, in what was then West Germany. She completed her secondary education at the Evangelisch Stiftisches Gymnasium Gütersloh before commencing university studies in economics. Weidel earned a diploma in business administration from the University of Bayreuth, a institution known for its focus on Law and economics. She furthered her academic qualifications by obtaining a doctorate in economics from the University of Hagen, with her dissertation analyzing China's social market structures. Prior to her political career, she worked in the financial sector, holding positions at Goldman Sachs in Frankfurt and later as a director for Allianz Global Investors in Shanghai.

Political career

Weidel joined the newly founded Alternative for Germany in 2013, attracted by its initial platform of opposing Eurozone bailouts. She rose quickly within the party structure, and in 2017, she was selected as the AfD's chancellor candidate for the 2017 German federal election, running jointly with Alexander Gauland. Although the party did not win the chancellorship, it entered the Bundestag for the first time as the third-largest faction, with Weidel winning a direct mandate from the constituency of Bodensee. Following the election, she became a co-leader of the AfD parliamentary group alongside Gauland. In 2022, she was elected as a federal co-chair of the entire party, succeeding Jörg Meuthen. In this role, she has been a central figure in the AfD's campaigns for the 2024 European elections and various state elections.

Political positions

Weidel's political platform combines economic ordoliberal critiques with staunch national-conservative stances. She advocates for a reformed European Union based on a "Europe of Fatherlands" model and has called for the abolition of the European Parliament. Domestically, she strongly criticizes Germany's Energiewende (energy transition) policy, advocating for a longer reliance on nuclear power and the resumption of domestic natural gas extraction. On immigration, she supports a strict model similar to Australia's offshore processing and has called for a moratorium on asylum applications. Economically, she promotes tax reductions, the elimination of the solidarity surcharge, and a return to balanced budget rules.

Public image and controversies

Weidel's public persona is characterized by a polished, analytical style that contrasts with the more populist rhetoric of some party colleagues, leading media outlets like Der Spiegel to label her the "bourgeois face" of the AfD. However, her career has been marked by significant controversies. She faced scrutiny over past employment of a Syrian national for domestic work at her home in Biel, Switzerland. Furthermore, her association with the Flügel, a faction within the AfD that was officially classified as right-wing extremist by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), has drawn persistent criticism. Weidel has also been criticized for statements perceived as downplaying Germany's Nazi past and for her party's stance during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.

Electoral performance

Weidel has led the AfD through several significant electoral contests. In the 2017 German federal election, as lead candidate, she helped the party secure 12.6% of the vote and 94 seats in the Bundestag. She personally won her direct mandate in Bodensee with 38.5% of the first vote. In the 2021 German federal election, with Weidel again as a lead candidate, the AfD's national share dipped slightly to 10.3%, though she retained her direct mandate with an increased margin. Under her co-leadership, the AfD achieved strong results in the 2023 Bavarian state election and 2023 Hessian state election, and polls ahead of the 2024 European Parliament election suggested the party was poised for a record performance.

Category:Alternative for Germany politicians Category:Members of the Bundestag Category:German women in politics