The key facts
- Stefanie Hubig proposed creating a working group of the federal government and the states to assess the grounds for banning the AfD
- According to an INSA poll from November 7, the AfD is supported by 29% of respondents versus 19% for the CDU/CSU
- The Justice Ministry allows the use of 421,000 AfD emails leaked after a hacker attack
Justice Ministry demands examination of grounds for a ban
German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said there is a need for a serious and systematic examination of whether the prerequisites exist for initiating a ban procedure against the Alternative for Germany party. Her remarks were quoted by the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung, as reported by Life.ru. In the minister's view, to assess possible court proceedings, a joint working group of the federal government and the states should be created to gather and analyze materials for a legal and political decision.
Leaked correspondence and the situation in Saxony-Anhalt
Hubig allowed for the use of AfD's internal correspondence, which became publicly available after a hacker attack — about 421,000 emails and tens of thousands of documents. These materials may be taken into account if evidence of activity directed against the constitutional order is found in them. The minister is particularly concerned about Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD won the regional elections: a party representative already heads the state parliament, and in December its candidate may claim the post of state premier. Hubig called the formation of a government led by the AfD a serious test for the rule of law.
Polls and disagreements among the leadership
According to an INSA poll published on November 7, 29% of respondents support the AfD, while the CDU/CSU bloc has 19%, meaning the gap is ten percentage points. At the same time, the question of a ban divides the German leadership: Chancellor Friedrich Merz previously expressed doubts about the success of proceedings due to high legal requirements. Only the Federal Constitutional Court can make the final decision on banning a party. Earlier, as Life.ru reported, the initiative to ban the AfD in the Bundestag was promoted by the Social Democrats, proposing to refer the matter to the Constitutional Court, but then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz opposed it.
