AfD holds Erfurt congress

What's happened

Thousands of protesters have mobilised in Erfurt as the far‑right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has held its national congress to re‑elect co‑leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla. Police have deployed large numbers to clear blockades; most delegates have reached the conference and voting has gone ahead as planned.

What's behind the headline?

What happened

• The AfD has held its national conference in Erfurt where delegates have re‑elected Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla as co‑leaders. Police have cleared street blockades so the congress could start on schedule.

Who is driving events

• Party leaders are consolidating control ahead of state elections. Weidel has strengthened her position within the leadership; Chrupalla's support has slipped compared with the previous congress.

Why this matters now

• The congress has taken place shortly before important regional votes in Saxony‑Anhalt, where AfD aims to win a governing majority. The party's national polling strength has forced other parties to continue isolating it politically.

Likely consequences

• The AfD's strengthened leadership will intensify its election campaign and organisational push in eastern states. This will increase pressure on mainstream parties to sharpen their messaging and electoral strategy.
• Large protests and heavy police deployments will keep the party's national profile high and will feed debate about how democracies should respond to parties that mainstream actors label extremist.

Short forecast

• AfD will use the congress as evidence of unity and momentum and will escalate campaigning for the September state votes. Opposition parties will continue to rule out cooperation, which will leave voters to decide whether the party can convert national poll leads into regional governing power.

How we got here

AfD has risen to become Germany's largest opposition party and is leading opinion polls ahead of key state elections in Saxony‑Anhalt. Mainstream parties have refused to cooperate with AfD and domestic intelligence has monitored the party for alleged anti‑constitutional activity.

Our analysis

Bloomberg reported that Alice Weidel won re‑election as AfD co‑chair with 81% of the vote and that Tino Chrupalla secured 70%, down on his previous result — a sign Bloomberg said has strengthened Weidel within the leadership. The Guardian and local reporting described heavy policing and street clashes in Erfurt, with The Guardian citing police reports of 20,000 protesters and noting sit‑in blockades and dramatic acts such as activists gluing themselves to tram tracks. Al Jazeera and AFP coverage emphasised the size and tactics of the demonstrations, quoting organisers from the "Resistance" alliance saying "we simply won't tolerate this" and reporting that most delegates still reached the conference centre and the congress began on time. Politico and France 24 carried AfD leaders' responses; Politico quoted Alice Weidel telling opponents "you won't bring us down — quite the opposite, we're only getting stronger and bigger" while France 24 quoted Tino Chrupalla calling the demonstrations an attack on democratic decision‑making. Multiple outlets noted the timing of the congress near the 100th anniversary of a Nazi meeting in Weimar; AfD has rejected any deliberate provocation. Reporting across AP, The Times of Israel, the Independent and The New Arab framed the event in the context of AfD's recent national gains and the party's ambitions for September state elections in Saxony‑Anhalt, warning that a victory there would mark its first state government and expand its administrative power.

Go deeper

• How will AfD's leadership vote change its campaign strategy for the September state elections?
• What legal or political steps can other parties take if AfD wins a majority in Saxony‑Anhalt?

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