A motion to ban the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, signed by 112 MPs, has been handed to Bundestag President Bärbel Bas of the far-left Social Democrats (SPD), according to reports from German state media ARD and ZDF.
If the motion passes, the Bundestag will initial proceedings that will head to the top court of Germany, the Constitutional Court, to determine whether the AfD can be banned. There are 733 seats in the Bundestag. The motion only needs a simple majority to pass.
The AfD is the second most popular party in the country, and it is increasingly so popular that it is making it very difficult for the ruling parties to form coalitions without it. As it grows, the establishment parties are rallying together to remove this rival from the democratic process. Many of the top proponents of a ban, such as CDU MP Marco Wanderwitz — who lost his local election to an AfD politician — operate under the motto that they are “saving democracy.”
Germany may move to ban the country’s second-largest party, the anti-immigration AfD, shortly before elections.https://t.co/kh4IzFWze6
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) November 11, 2024
The MPs who back the motion come from a variety of different party factions. Till Steffen, the parliamentary leader of the Greens group, said that 50 members of the Greens signed on to the motion to ban the party.
Most of the German establishment is working towards a ban, but there is disagreement about the pace and timing of such a ban. Some are also worried that the ban will backfire and make the AfD more popular than ever. For one, a ban could take years, and second, the country’s top court may reject the ban, which would be a catastrophic outcome for the German establishment. It should be noted that the country’s top court usually issues rulings friendly to the establishment.
Germany: AfD party hits record high in Bavaria as migrant crisis spirals
⚫️CSU: 43%
🔵 AfD: 18%
đź”´ SPD: 8%
⚪️ BSW: 5%
🟢Greens: 10%
đźź«BVB/FW: 11%
🔺Others: 5%While the AfD dominates in the east, now Bavaria is the western German state with the party’s highest rating.
Unlike… pic.twitter.com/L4jzpIjTQP
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) October 22, 2024
Some Green MPs are against a ban, at least for now.
Green MP Renate Künast submitted a counter motion that states that a ban must be thoroughly legally examined first, including commissioning experts to “assess the chances of success of a ban.”
Wanderwitz (CDU), however, wants an AfD ban now, stating, “It has to happen quickly” due to upcoming elections.
🇩🇪🔥AfD co-leader Alice Weidel SLAMS Angela Merkel and the CDU party, says she destroyed Germany in powerful 13-minute speech.
“And then came a CDU chancellor (Angela Merkel). Nine years ago, this chancellor wiped away this existing law with the stroke of a pen and established a… pic.twitter.com/EQTXAphgyk
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) September 16, 2024
One key legal plank on any potential ban is the AfD’s designation from the Office of the Protection of the Constitution, which is currently led by Thomas Haldenwang. It was expected that the BfV would reclassify the AfD this year with the more damaging designation of a “confirmed threat” to the constitution. However, this designation will have to wait due to upcoming elections, as it would be a violation of the “equal opportunity” close so close to the election date.
The German BfV is somewhat comparable to the FBI in the United States, but is even more openly politicized. For example, Haldenwang is a member of the CDU party, which views the AfD as an intense electoral rival.
Compare how Haldenwang addresses the AfD and how he treats the… pic.twitter.com/36Sj0Dj6W0
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) June 27, 2024
The fiercely anti-AfD Haldenwang is stepping down from his position at the BfV to run for an MP position in upcoming elections.
Snap elections are now expected in January.
Tyler Durden
Mon, 11/18/2024 – 03:30
