The far-right party "Alternative for Germany" (AfD) gathered for the re-election of co-chairs Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla at the federal congress in Erfurt, Germany. The event was accompanied by mass protests and clashes between demonstrators and police. This is reported by the Associated Press, as conveyed by UNN.
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Thousands, by some estimates 20,000, protesters tried to disrupt the party congress, which took place in the eastern German city of Erfurt. Near the venue of the event, clashes occurred with law enforcement officers, who were equipped to quell mass unrest.
During the congress, delegates re-elected the current co-chairs of the party, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, who have been leading the AfD for four years. Thus, the party seeks to demonstrate unity ahead of the upcoming elections.
Additional attention to the event was drawn by the fact that it took place on the days of the 100th anniversary of the Nazi party congress near Erfurt, which at the time consolidated Adolf Hitler's power within the Nazi movement. Historians and political opponents consider this date symbolic, but the AfD rejects these accusations.
Recently, Weidel stated that "2026 will be a fateful year for the AfD." Despite the fact that Germany's leading political forces continue to refuse cooperation with the far-right, the party continues to build support amid dissatisfaction among some voters with the government's economic policy and migration issues.
"The AfD expects to win over 40% of the vote in the elections in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, which will take place on September 6. Such a result could allow the party to claim the formation of a state government for the first time or achieve an absolute majority," the article says.
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