Debate on AfD ban: Constitutional lawyer sees legal risk in partial ban on AfD
Cem Özdemir and Boris Pistorius want to have AfD state associations with a nationalist character banned. However, it is questionable whether a corresponding application would be admissible at all.
German politicians are debating a potential ban on certain regional branches of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and Baden-Württemberg's Premier Cem Özdemir have called for a ban on the party's branches in Thüringen, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, and Brandenburg, citing evidence of a nationalist and anti-constitutional orientation.
The debate comes ahead of state elections in Sachsen-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Berlin, where the AfD is polling strongly, with the party's Sachsen-Anhalt branch classified as right-wing extremist by the country's domestic intelligence agency. A ban would need to be approved by the Federal Constitutional Court, and some politicians, including SPD's Sebastian Fiedler, are urging swift action.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's report — not a translation of it. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
