A motion to ban the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, signed by 112 MPs, has been handed to Bundestag President Bärbel Bas of the far-left Social Democrats (SPD), according to reports from German state media ARD and ZDF.
If the motion passes, the Bundestag will initial proceedings that will head to the top court of Germany, the Constitutional Court, to determine whether the AfD can be banned. There are 733 seats in the Bundestag. The motion only needs a simple majority to pass.
The AfD is the second most popular party in the country, and it is increasingly so popular that it is making it very difficult for the ruling parties to form coalitions without it. As it grows, the establishment parties are rallying together to remove this rival from the democratic process. Many of the top proponents of a ban, such as CDU MP Marco Wanderwitz — who lost his local election to an AfD politician — operate under the motto that they are “saving democracy.”
The MPs who back the motion come from a variety of different party factions. Till Steffen, the parliamentary leader of the Greens group, said that 50 members of the Greens signed on to the motion to ban the party.
Most of the German establishment is working towards a ban, but there is disagreement about the pace and timing of such a ban. Some are also worried that the ban will backfire and make the AfD more popular than ever. For one, a ban could take years, and second, the country’s top court may reject the ban, which would be a catastrophic outcome for the German establishment. It should be noted that the country’s top court usually issues rulings friendly to the establishment.
Some Green MPs are against a ban, at least for now.
Green MP Renate Künast submitted a counter motion that states that a ban must be thoroughly legally examined first, including commissioning experts to “assess the chances of success of a ban.”
Wanderwitz (CDU), however, wants an AfD ban now, stating, “It has to happen quickly” due to upcoming elections.
One key legal plank on any potential ban is the AfD’s designation from the Office of the Protection of the Constitution, which is currently led by Thomas Haldenwang. It was expected that the BfV would reclassify the AfD this year with the more damaging designation of a “confirmed threat” to the constitution. However, this designation will have to wait due to upcoming elections, as it would be a violation of the “equal opportunity” close so close to the election date.
The fiercely anti-AfD Haldenwang is stepping down from his position at the BfV to run for an MP position in upcoming elections.
Snap elections are now expected in January.