Berlin, Germany – The incoming German government has announced plans to consider legal proceedings aimed at banning the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, amid growing concerns about its perceived threat to the country’s democratic order.
Lars Klingbeil, chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Germany’s incoming Finance Minister and Vice-Chancellor, made the declaration in a recent interview.
Klingbeil stated unequivocally that the AfD’s activities and ideological goals pose a danger to Germany’s constitutional democracy.
“There is now a serious debate about whether the AfD is trying to destroy our democracy,” Klingbeil said. “We are closely monitoring their actions and connections.
This party must be treated as what it is: a threat to the democratic order of the Federal Republic of Germany.”
Klingbeil emphasized that the new government — a coalition made up of the SPD, the Greens, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) — will take a firm stance against extremist ideologies, especially those that undermine democratic institutions and principles.
He added that the authorities are currently evaluating the legal conditions required to initiate a ban, which would need approval from the Federal Constitutional Court.
The AfD, founded in 2013, initially gained traction as a eurosceptic party but has since shifted significantly to the right, with several of its members accused of harboring nationalist, xenophobic, and anti-immigrant views.
In recent years, parts of the party have come under surveillance by Germany’s domestic intelligence service, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), which has designated some factions as right-wing extremist.
The call for a potential ban has sparked national debate, with proponents arguing that the AfD’s rhetoric and activities incite division, hatred, and authoritarianism.
Critics of a ban, however, caution that such a move could strengthen the AfD’s narrative of persecution and push its supporters further into radicalism.
The German constitution permits the banning of political parties that are deemed to undermine or seek to abolish the democratic order.
However, such a process involves a complex and lengthy legal procedure that requires substantial evidence and a ruling by the Constitutional Court.
AfD officials have dismissed the proposed move as politically motivated. Party co-leader Alice Weidel called the suggestion “an attack on free speech and political opposition,” warning that banning a popular party would set a dangerous precedent in democratic societies.
