German nationalists pick duo to lead party into election
The far-right Alternative for Germany has chosen two representatives supported by the hard-right wing of the party to lead it into the upcoming national election
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The far-right Alternative for Germany has chosen two representatives supported by the hard-right wing of the party to lead it into the upcoming national election.
The party announced Tuesday that 71% of members in an online poll voted for co-chairman Tino Chrupalla and parliamentary co-leader Alice Weidel beating a rival duo from the more moderate wing of the party.
Alternative for Germany, also known by its acronym AfD, has drifted steadily to the right since its founding in 2013, drawing increasing scrutiny from the country's domestic intelligence agency.
Recent polls suggest the party can hope to match its 2017 election result, when it got 12.6% of the vote after campaigning heavily against immigration. It is currently the largest opposition party in parliament.
Weidel said AfD would focus its campaign on the impact that the coronavirus pandemic has had on the economy, claiming that measures introduced to curb the spread of the virus were “excessive.”
Germany's restrictions were less strict than those in many of its European neighbors and it had fewer deaths per capita than other large countries such as France Italy Spain or Britain.