Politicians from the German centre-right CDU party over the weekend expressed their desire for their biggest political rival, the right-wing populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) to be banned.
MP Tilman Kuban urged parliament to initiate a ban procedure against the AfD because it is, he said without citing any examples, embedded in “right-wing extremist structures,” and is “increasingly radical” in its language and political programme.
Another MP, Roderich Kiesewetter said a ban procedure would have more success following the domestic intelligence agency’s (BfV) decision last week to label the AfD as a right-wing extremist group.
A ban has been backed by three leftist parties, the Social Democrats, the Greens, and Die Linke.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz and the party’s secretary general, Carsten Linnemann have remained silent on the issue but could declare their intent regarding the AfD after the new government, consisting of the CDU/CSU alliance and the Social Democrats, takes office on Tuesday, May 6th.
The new interior minister, the CSU’s Alexander Dobrindt does not favour a ban, saying a party can only be banned if there is evidence that it wants to topple the free democratic basic order “aggressively and combatively”—but such evidence does not exist.
Banning the most popular party would be a huge blow to democracy in Germany, and would only confirm the authoritarian nature of the ruling elites that want to get rid of their opponents instead of trying to govern the country according to the will of the electorate.
