Unanimously and to thunderous applause, the AfD delegates chose party leader Alice Weidel as their candidate for chancellor in the German federal election on Saturday.
The 45-year-old told around 600 delegates in Riesa in Saxony that the AfD was needed to make Germany “strong, rich and safe again”. The borders must be closed completely and the message sent to the world: “The German borders are closed.”
The party conference had previously started significantly late due to blockades and protests by AfD opponents on several access roads. According to his party, the Saxon left-wing politician Nam Duy Nguyen was beaten unconscious by a police officer during the protests.
Acclamation, light show and sharp attacks on the Union
Weidel was chosen as candidate for chancellor by standing up by acclamation. There was no vote with counting of votes. Accompanied by a light show, loud music and cheers, Weidel then took the stage, painted a bleak picture of the situation in Germany and listed the AfD’s positions in the election campaign.
“We will put Nord Stream back into operation,” she shouted about the natural gas pipeline to Russia to applause. She accused the opposition Christian Democrats of copying the AfD’s election program and vilified the CDU as a “fraud party” that needed to be overtaken. The AfD leader also made it clear that she has no problem with the term “remigration”. There was thunderous applause for her exclamation: “When we are at the helm, we will tear down all the wind turbines. Down with these windmills of shame.”
“Alice for Germany”
It is the first time in the almost twelve-year history of the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) that it has nominated a candidate for chancellor. Weidel justified this with the party’s poll numbers. This results in a government mandate.
In surveys for months, the AfD has been in second place by a wide margin behind the CDU and CSU – currently at around 20 percent. In six weeks, a new Bundestag will be elected early after the traffic light coalition broke up. Since there are no majorities in sight in the Bundestag for an AfD chancellor because no party with the AfD would vote for it, Weidel’s candidacy is primarily symbolic.
Co-chair Tino Chrupalla previously appealed to his party with a view to current surveys: “Now we have to leave the 20 percent mark behind us and keep climbing,” with the aim of making Weidel Chancellor. He himself “keeps the front woman’s back free.” Saxony’s AfD leader Jörg Urban said to the Union’s candidate for chancellor, Friedrich Merz (CDU): “Mr. Merz, dress warmly, we are coming!” To loud cheers, he added: “Alice for Germany!”.
The US billionaire Elon Musk linked to the live stream of the party conference on his platform X, thereby once again giving the AfD enormous international reach. The Tesla boss’s posts are followed by more than 210 million people worldwide. Musk has been promoting the AfD for a long time and caused a stir with a live conversation with Weidel shortly before the party conference.
Injured during protests
Several people were injured in clashes between demonstrators and emergency services around the AfD federal party conference. A spokesman for the Dresden Police Department reported on Saturday that six officers were slightly injured. A spokeswoman for the “resist” action alliance, which organized the protests against the party conference, spoke of injuries among the rally participants.
According to the Saxon Left, Nam Duy Nguyen’s companion was also injured by blows to the face. “We will file criminal charges against the responsible officials,” said party leader Jan van Aken. A spokesman for the police in Dresden said that they had heard about the incident and were investigating it: “We are investigating the case.” The 29-year-old Nam Duy Nguyen won one of the two direct mandates for his party in Leipzig in the state elections in Saxony on September 1, 2024, thus securing the left’s entry into the state parliament.
SPD selects Scholz as candidate for chancellor
The SPD special party conference in Berlin officially named German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as the candidate for chancellor for the federal election on February 23rd. With a show of hands, an overwhelming majority of delegates voted for the 66-year-old. In surveys, the Social Democrats are well behind the CDU/CSU and their candidate for chancellor Friedrich Merz. Scholz had previously vowed his party to catch up in the hot phase of the election campaign.
“It’s about a hell of a lot,” he said on Saturday in his speech at a special party conference in Berlin. “We are fighting to preserve and renew the successful brand ‘Made in Germany’ – for the ordinary people in our country. So, we are fighting.” The 600 delegates celebrated him standing with minutes of applause.
The German Social Democrats want to become the strongest party again in the election on February 23rd, but are currently 13 to 20 percentage points behind the leading Union in the polls and are also in third place behind the AfD. Scholz was nevertheless confident that the trend reversal can still be achieved. “Winter election campaigns can have a good ending,” he said. In Hamburg he stood for election twice in February and won. “I think that’s encouraging at this time.”
