Far-right Alternative for Germany party reelects leaders as protesters and police clash

Delegates at the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party convention overwhelmingly reelected its leaders on Saturday, including Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, who have co-led the party for four years. Weidel secured 81% of the vote, while Chrupalla received 70%.

Outside the convention in Erfurt, tens of thousands of protesters aimed to disrupt the meeting, with some clashing with police. The demonstrations highlighted the deep divisions the AfD has created in Germany. Party officials, however, defended their right to hold the convention, with Chrupalla dismissing protesters as "troublemakers" and the "last resort of our political rivals."

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There are no peaceful seated blockades. There are no democratic roadblocks. Nor are there any gangs of thugs who deserve the harmless label 'civil society.' These troublemakers are the last resort of our political rivals.

The convention's timing also drew controversy, coinciding with the 100-year anniversary of a Nazi Party meeting nearby that consolidated Adolf Hitler's power. Historians and opponents see symbolic significance, an accusation the AfD rejects.

The AfD achieved second place in the February 2025 national election with 20.8% of the vote, the best showing for a far-right party since World War II. Its support has since risen to make it the nation's leading party. Despite this growth, calls for the party to be banned persist, though Germany's supreme court has set a high bar for such actions. Mainstream parties continue to uphold a "firewall" against working with the AfD.

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2026 is a year of destiny for AfD