Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the East German town of Riesa on Saturday in a bid to blockade the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party congress.
Protesters chanting “no to Nazis” blocked roads in the town, preventing many of the party’s 600 delegates from reaching the convention venue and ultimately delaying the kick-off of the proceedings. Police estimate some 10,000 demonstrators will be in Riesa over the course of the weekend.
Delegates attending the two-day summit are expected to formally nominate party co-leader Alice Weidel as their candidate for chancellor in the snap federal elections scheduled for Feb. 23.
Delegates are also poised to give final approval to the AfD’s campaign manifesto. The draft version of the text advocates tougher immigration policies and Germany’s exit from the euro.
The AfD is currently polling in second place, with around 20 percent of voters projected to back the policy. Weidel this week received the endorsement of tech mogul Elon Musk, who held a live chat with her on X in which he said that voting for the far-right party was the only way to “save Germany.”
Although she may secure her party’s nomination this weekend, Weidel has no real possibility of becoming chancellor or being part of the next government. Friedrich Merz, whose center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is leading in the polls, is most likely to succeed Olaf Scholz, the beleaguered center-left incumbent.
Merz has ruled out any sort of collaboration with the far-right group, as have all the rest of the parties expected to secure seats in the Bundestag.
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