AfD Reelects Leadership Amid Mass Protests in Erfurt

Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in the eastern German city of Erfurt on Saturday, blocking major roads and disrupting public transport, yet the far‑right Alternative for Germany (AfD)Shown its annual congress unaffected.

Issued on: 04/07/2026 – 17:13

Police reported that roughly 31,000 people participated in largely peaceful demonstrations, while organisers estimated the figure at more than 50,000.

Protesters blocked city access roads, with some abseiling from a motorway bridge, and staged sit‑in protests that disrupted bus and tram services.

“It’s important to signal against a rightward shift,” said 19‑year‑old demonstrator Lene Krug. “The AfD is an anti‑democratic party that spreads hate.”

State Elections

The AfD, currently topping recent national opinion polls, aims to further strengthen its position in upcoming state elections in eastern Germany later this year. Polls indicate that it could secure an outright majority in Saxony‑Anhalt’s September election.

The party finished second in last year’s national elections with 20 percent of the vote, behind Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU/CSU alliance.

AfD co‑leader Alice Weidel denied accusations that the party is anti‑democratic. “We are the new people’s party in Germany,” she told delegates.

Leadership Confirmed

Weidel and co‑leader Tino Chrupalla were re‑elected for another two‑year term during the congress.

“Perhaps we’ll soon be able to govern on our own,” Chrupalla said. “That would send the right signal to the democracy‑despisers out there who wanted to halt our party conference.” misschien

Critics accuse the AfD of downplaying Nazi crimes and maintaining links with right‑wing extremists—allegations the party rejects. In 2018, former co‑leader Alexander Gauland described the Nazi era as “a speck of bird poop” in Germany’s otherwise grand 1,000‑year history.

A proposal to relax rules governing members’ links to extremist groups was withdrawn under pressure from party leadership, although Weidel said the policy would be reviewed within a year.

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