Ahead of the autumn state elections, AfD co-leader Alice Weidel has laid out a clear claim to leadership for her party. "We are the new people's party in Germany," Weidel said on Saturday in her speech at the AfD party congress in Erfurt. "The AfD is ready to take responsibility, because we, because Germans, because Germany, deserve to be governed well." Weidel accused the other parties of acting against the AfD "with hatred and hostility."
The AfD has meanwhile become the "political pacesetter at the federal level," Weidel said. In many states, such as Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where new state parliaments will be elected in September, the party is also the strongest political force.
"Through elections we win political majorities, we continue to lead our political debates, and through new laws we carry out the corrections that have long been needed, together with the people in this country, and not over their heads," Weidel said. "We make policy for the people in this country. And the others make policy against the interests of our country."
To remain "viable for the future" as a party and to be able to continue as Germany's "political pacesetter," Weidel announced a revision of the party's core programme. "There must inevitably be an adjustment to the rapid developments of the last ten years." The goal, she said, is to adopt a completely revised core programme next year. "With this we want to confront the challenges that lie ahead of us."
The AfD will not be unsettled by being shunned by the other parties, Weidel said. "We will go our own way," she said. "We'll let the others carry on, and they will get the shock of their lives." Weidel accused the other parties of acting against the AfD "with hatred and hostility." Her message, she said, was: "You will not grind us down, quite the opposite. We keep getting stronger and bigger."
Weidel sharply criticised the governing parties. "The CDU is pursuing policy against the Germans, against Germany, against the interests of our country," she said. She described the SPD as the "once so proud workers' party" that is now "disappearing from German party history without a whimper." The SPD, she said, is a "party that betrays workers and employees."
Calls by other parties for protests against the AfD party congress were "poisoning the mood," Weidel said. In this context, she stressed the constitutionally guaranteed right and legal obligation to hold party congresses regularly. "And now I ask the question: who is hollowing out the rule of law here? Who is hollowing out democracy in our country?"
The AfD leader also accused the "established parties" in the Bundestag of "systematically denying the rights of the opposition" and of preventing the AfD "from fully exercising the mandate given to us by voters to serve as a parliamentary representation."
The party leader emphasised that AfD membership has risen from 30,000 to 75,000 within three years. "And I am convinced that we will soon, very soon, break through the 100,000 mark," she said. "That is our goal, we want to become big and strong."
From breaking news to thought-provoking opinion pieces, our newsletter keeps you informed & engaged.
By subscribing, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
