AfD
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| AfD | |
|---|---|
| Name | Alternative for Germany |
| Native name | Alternative für Deutschland |
| Abbreviation | AfD |
| Foundation | 2013 |
| Headquarters | Berlin |
| Country | Germany |
AfD The Alternative for Germany is a German political party founded in 2013. It emerged from debates over the Eurozone crisis, the European Union's fiscal policies, and the German federal budget, later expanding its profile around migration, national identity, and security. The party has influenced debates in the Bundestag, state parliaments such as the Landtag of Saxony, and EU politics through Members of the European Parliament.
History
Founded in 2013 by economists, jurists, and commentators reacting to the European Central Bank's measures during the Greek government-debt crisis and bailouts associated with the European Stability Mechanism, the party initially prioritized opposition to Eurozone rescue packages and called for a return to national currencies. Early figures included academics and euro-skeptic publicists who had ties to institutions like the University of Bonn and the Humboldt University of Berlin. After failing to enter the Bundestag in 2013, the party gained representation in several Landtag elections, notably in Saxony-Anhalt and Baden-Württemberg.
From 2015 onward, amid the European migrant crisis and policies announced by the Federal Government of Germany under Chancellor Angela Merkel, the party pivoted toward stricter immigration and asylum positions, leading to internal factional shifts and the departure of some founding members. Electoral success accelerated with strong showings in the 2017 federal election and subsequent state elections in Thuringia and Brandenburg. The party's representation in the European Parliament aligned it with other right-wing and Eurosceptic groups.
Ideology and Platform
The party's platform combines economic liberalism from its founding with positions associated with national conservatism, right-wing populism, and right-wing nationalism. Core themes include opposition to further European Union integration, skepticism toward the Eurozone, restrictive immigration and asylum policies in response to the European migrant crisis, advocacy for national sovereignty, and emphasis on cultural identity related to German history and German language preservation. Policy stances reference security debates connected to institutions like the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees and the Bundespolizei.
Internal ideological currents encompass liberal-conservative members, social-conservative activists, and more radical nationalist or identitarian elements. These internal factions have led to public disputes over issues tied to the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany and interpretations of historical matters involving the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany.
Organization and Leadership
Organizationally, the party is structured with a federal executive, state associations corresponding to each Bundesland, and local branches. Leadership has included co-chairs and a federal board with figures who previously held roles in academic institutions, regional legislatures, or municipal governments. The party uses political staff drawn from think tanks, media networks, and civic organizations.
Prominent leadership contests and shifts have occurred at federal congresses, with power struggles between more moderate economic liberals and outspoken right-wing figures influencing appointments to the federal executive and parliamentary group leadership in the Bundestag and state Landtage.
Electoral Performance
After its 2013 establishment, the party achieved its first major breakthrough in the 2014 European Parliament election in Germany, followed by entry into multiple state parliaments. In the 2017 German federal election, the party entered the Bundestag for the first time, becoming one of the largest opposition groups. Subsequent state elections produced both gains and setbacks, with particularly strong results in eastern German states such as Saxony and Thuringia. In the 2019 European Parliament election, the party secured seats and joined parliamentary groupings representing Eurosceptic and conservative interests.
Electoral performance has varied by region, with urban-rural divides visible in results across states like Bavaria, Berlin, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Polling against parties such as the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, the Social Democratic Party of Germany, and The Left (Germany) has shown fluctuating levels of voter support.
Controversies and Criticism
The party has been subject to extensive criticism from political parties including the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Alliance 90/The Greens, and Free Democratic Party (Germany), as well as civil society organizations, trade unions like the ver.di, and media outlets such as Der Spiegel and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Allegations have involved statements by members regarding immigration, Islam, and historical memory related to Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, prompting condemnations from institutions like the German Historical Museum and the Stiftung Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.
Security authorities, including some state branches of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, have monitored extremist tendencies within party factions, generating legal and administrative scrutiny. High-profile expulsions, resignations, and legal battles have marked internal disputes, while demonstrations by groups such as Pegida and counter-protests by organizations like Amnesty International and Pro Asyl have intersected with the party's activism.
Policy Positions
The party advocates withdrawal from deeper European Union fiscal integration and policies favoring reform of the Eurozone and institutions like the European Central Bank. On migration and asylum, it supports tightened borders, changes to the Dublin Regulation implementation, and reduced family reunification provisions. Climate and energy positions favor skepticism of some aspects of the Energiewende and oppose rapid deindustrialization, advocating for policies friendly to sectors like automotive manufacturing centered in regions such as Baden-Württemberg.
On security, the party calls for stronger law enforcement measures involving the Bundespolizei and federal-state cooperation, and it voices support for traditional institutions such as the Bundeswehr while critiquing certain EU security initiatives. Economic stances include tax relief, deregulation proposals, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises prominent in the Mittelstand.
International Relations and Alliances
Internationally, the party has established links with other right-wing, conservative, and Eurosceptic parties across Europe, participating in parliamentary alliances in the European Parliament alongside groups comprising parties from countries like France, Poland, Hungary, and Italy. It has engaged with think tanks and political movements in the United Kingdom during the Brexit debate, and with transnational networks concerned with migration and national sovereignty.
These relationships have drawn scrutiny from European institutions such as the European Commission and member-state governments, prompting debates over collaboration with parties associated with leaders like Viktor Orbán and organizations in Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans.