Germany: AfD leaders pick Weidel for chancellor candidate

The co-leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel, have agreed that Weidel will be the party's candidate for chancellor.

The agreement does not mean her candidacy is confirmed, however. Weidel would still need to be backed by party members during the AfD's conference, scheduled for March next year. 

Weidel, who ran on a joint ticket with Chrupalla as the party's candidates at the last federal election, was already seen as the runaway favorite for the nomination for 2025. 

Germany will hold its next federal election in September next year. 

Who is Alice Weidel?

Weidel, an economist, has been co-leader of the AfD since 2019. Earlier this year, her party colleagues voted 79.8% in favor of her staying in the role.

Born in the western German city of Gütersloh, Weidel has been a member of the far-right party since 2013 and a member of the executive committee since 2015. She became a member of the Bundestag after the 2017 federal election.

In 2017, the 45-year-old became the first lesbian woman to serve as a lead candidate of her party. She is in a civil union with her female partner, who is from Sri Lanka and lives in Switzerland. They have two adopted children.

Weidel divides her time between Germany and Switzerland, but has previously said that she mainly resides in Germany.   

The rise of the AfD

Since being founded a decade ago, the AfD has grown to become a significant force in Germany's political landscape. Initially founded as a euroskeptic party, it has become more radical and focused on issues such as immigration.

The AfD made major gains in the European Parliament elections in June, as well as in three recent state elections, even emerging as the largest party in the eastern state of Thuringia. 

Germany's mainstream parties, such as Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of former Chancellor Angela Merkel, have refused to enter into governing coalitions with the AfD. That means its chances of being part of a future government, or winning the chancellorship, are slim.

Nationwide, the AfD is currently polling between 17% and 20%, in second place to the CDU.

nm/msh (AFP, dpa)

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