Söder rejects AfD ban but warns of Moscow ties and flawed policies
Bavaria's Minister-President and CSU leader Markus Söder has spoken out against a constitutional review by the Federal Constitutional Court to ban the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). Instead, he advised continuing to monitor the party—which he said was radicalizing further to the right rather than moving toward the center—through the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, warning against "demanding a hysterical, moralistic ban."
Söder told the Mediengruppe Bayern (Wednesday edition) that he intended to challenge the AfD "on competence." "The AfD is not fit to govern. Its misguided economic policies would be highly damaging to our country. And worst of all: the AfD remains a Moscow-aligned faction," he said. "The employment relationships among AfD lawmakers now resemble clan-like structures."
Under Germany's Basic Law, parties that seek—through their objectives or the conduct of their supporters—to undermine or abolish the free democratic order or endanger the existence of the Federal Republic of Germany are deemed unconstitutional. The Federal Constitutional Court rules on whether a party is unconstitutional.
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