‘s new chancellor, , has expressed doubts over the appropriateness of a suggested ban on the far-right populist , which came second in February’s federal election.
“I’m always very skeptical of procedures to ban political parties,” Merz told German broadsheet Die Zeit on Thursday.
“And I’ve always refrained from conducting such procedures from the center ground in parliament. That smells too much like getting rid of political opponents to me.”
At the end of April, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz or BfV) classified the AfD as a “confirmed right-wing extremist endeavor” – although it will initially refrain from using the term lodged by the party.
Merz said that it must be “proven” that the AfD is working “aggressively and combatively against the liberal and democratic order” in Germany, a burden of proof which lies with the executive, the state, rather than with the legislature, the parliament.
In its decision, the BfV said the AfD’s platform contained “distinctive ethnicity- and ancestry-based understanding that devalues entire population groups in Germany and violates their human dignity.”
Although the AfD polls around 20%, Germany’s major political parities like Merz’s conservative and the center-left refuse to form a coalition with the radical, right-wing party.
A majority of Germans share the view that the AfD’s agenda runs counter to democracy, the rule of law and human dignity. But how best to deal with the far-right party is becoming an issue that could further divide German society.
The post Germany updates: Chancellor Merz ‘skeptical’ of AfD ban appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
