Berlin needs to check whether there are legal grounds for banning the opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. This was stated by the Minister of Finance of Germany and co-chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) Lars Klingbeil.
"Now it is necessary to seriously study whether there are conditions for initiating a ban procedure in the Federal Constitutional Court," Klingbeil wrote in a guest article published in Die Zeit.
In his opinion, if this is confirmed, then the ban of the opposition party will become not just an option, but a "democratic duty to protect" Germany.
In addition, the Prime Minister of the federal state of Brandenburg, Dietmar Woidke, spoke in favor of exploring the possibility of banning the "Alternative for Germany", but at the same time pointed out significant obstacles.
"It will be a long, difficult and complicated political and legal path," he said.
Recall that calls for a ban on the party were made against the background of the growing popularity of the AfD on the eve of regional elections. Elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin and Mecklenburg—Vorpommern will be held in September. Polls show disappointing results for the party of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. In Saxony-Anhalt, the CDU gains only 24%, and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party - 41%. In Mecklenburg—Vorpommern, the AfD receives 36%, while the CDU receives only 9%. The discussion on how to deal with the AfD resumed after the publication of an expert opinion commissioned by the Society for the Protection of Civil Rights. In it, the eight authors of the report conclude that the "Alternative for Germany" violates the principles of human dignity and democracy, and, therefore, is unconstitutional.