Germany’s nationalist AfD elects two main contenders for vote
Germany’s top opposition party, the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, has elected two main contenders for the upcoming general elections as internal disputes continue to mar the image of the party known for its harsh stance on immigrants and Muslims.
In a convention in Cologne on Sunday, AfD members elected Alexander Gauland and Alice Weidel as its two main candidates to contest in the polls on September 24.
The AfD gained prominence when it began two years ago to capitalize on the failures in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s liberal asylum policies. More than a million entered the country in 2015, most of them refugees fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa. However, the issue has faded from the headlines, prompting some AfD leaders to seek a more pragmatic political path instead of turning into a "fundamental opposition" party.
The weekend convention in Cologne was also marred by disputes, especially after AfD’s best-known politician, Frauke Petry, said on Wednesday that she would no longer be available as the party's top candidate. Petry's main rival, Gauland, who is now 76, told party members that he would do his best to revive nationalist values in Germany.
"We want to keep our home country, keep our identity, and we are proud to be German," said Gauland in his acceptance speech.
Weidel, a relatively new figure to the AfD, also stuck to the party’s mainstream opposition manifesto.
"If we now stick together and fight together, then finally a true opposition party will be getting into German Parliament," the 38-year-old told the delegates.
The AfD members also reiterated the harsh stance of the party on immigration, Muslims and said that Germany should think of leaving the European Union.
The AfD convention came a day after tens of thousands rallied against the populist party in Cologne and blocked access to the hotel where party members were to hold their meeting. The demonstrations subsided on Sunday with police reporting that only several small-scale protests were held in different parts of Cologne.
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