Berlin defence chief Boris Pistorius has suggested that Alternative für Deutschland’s (AfD) officials could be barred from accessing classified government information if the opposition party enters state governments after upcoming regional elections.
Speaking to Bild, the Social Democrat minister said the government was reviewing who should be granted access to classified material, citing national security concerns. Asked whether AfD officials would be denied access to classified documents if the party joins governments in Saxony-Anhalt or Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Pistorius replied that
it is obvious that this must not happen.
We are intensively examining the question of who we can grant access to classified information.
He added that the government has an obligation to protect national security—which for the German government is linked to the idea that the AfD represents a particular security concern. Pistorius claimed he was “deeply worried” about the prospect of the party entering government after state elections in September and that the AfD maintains close ties to Russia, pointing to the party’s calls for restoring relations with Moscow and ending sanctions.
True, the AfD has long advocated resuming imports of Russian oil and gas and restoring diplomatic relations with Moscow. Yet similar positions have been expressed by politicians from other parties. Former chancellor Gerhard Schröder has maintained close ties with Russia and served on the boards of Russian energy companies, while Sahra Wagenknecht and her BSW party have also called for renewed energy cooperation with Moscow.
Pistorius’s remarks come as the AfD continues to poll strongly ahead of regional elections and amid broader efforts by parts of Germany’s political establishment to restrict the party, including ongoing legal and political discussions over a possible nationwide ban.
The prospect of limiting elected AfD officials’ access to classified information is likely to fuel further debate over the balance between national security and democratic representation in Germany.
