German far-right party push for EU exit
Photo: Alice Weidel, leader of the AfD (facebook.com/aliceweidel)
The far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has pledged to push for the country's exit from the European Union if it wins the parliamentary elections, according to Bloomberg.
According to the agency, in its election program for the February 23 snap parliamentary elections, Alternative for Germany calls for Germany's exit from the European Union and the eurozone.
Bloomberg notes that such a move would mark a significant shift in Germany’s policy and undo decades of political and economic integration.
AfD’s chancellor candidate, Alice Weidel, argues that the EU has destroyed Germany’s automotive industry. She believes the EU should be reduced to a free trade zone.
"What we need to have is free trade among the European countries, but we don’t need all the bureaucracy," she said in an interview with Bloomberg.
In her view, Germany’s automotive sector has been "ripped off" by the EU’s ban on the sale of new combustion-engine vehicles by 2035.
"We don’t need all of these bureaucrats who have no clue what they’re doing and destroying our foundation in the European Union. We don’t see that the European Union in its current state is an institution that is working well," Weidel added.
AfD is a pro-Russian party
Alternative for Germany (AfD) holds a controversial stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine. Specifically, it calls for halting the supply of Western weapons to Ukrainian defenders and seeks to improve relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Notably, the party’s co-leader, Tino Chrupalla, believes that gas supplies through the Nord Stream pipelines should be resumed.
According to Spiegel, Russia is cooperating with the Alternative for Germany. Party members have been tasked with preventing the delivery of Western weapons to Ukraine.
