German far-right radicals plan to create faction in European Parliament
A faction of far-right political forces may appear in the European Parliament (photo: Getty Images)
The German nationalist and right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD) plans to create a faction in the European Parliament called Sovereignists, according to Die Zeit and Der Spiegel.
The political force plans to launch the new parliamentary group next week. The decision on this matter will be made on Tuesday, June 25, when AfD MEPs gather for a delegation meeting.
A party representative in the European Parliament has requested that the parliament's administration provide a room for 100 people and catering for the inaugural meeting of the new parliamentary group. The new faction will be called Sovereignists.
Other right-wing parties may join the faction, including the right-wing extremist SOS Romania, SeAcabó La Fiesta from Spain, NIHK from Greece, Konfederacja Wolnosc i Niedpodleglosc from Poland, Hnutie Republika from Slovakia, and the Hungarian Hazank Mozgalom.
The new parliamentary group will be based on the so-called Sofia Declaration of the ultra-right Bulgarian party Vazrazhdane. The document from April 2024 states that European civilization is threatened by the aggression of globalist ideologies and that the right of nations to self-determination is being replaced by the dictatorship of bureaucracy. It argues that the EU bureaucracy must be stopped and freed from international corporations and that a peaceful resolution is needed in the European war (the war in Ukraine with Russia).
However, newly elected MEPs from AfD fear that such a faction could cost the party voter sympathy.
In May, the far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament expelled AfD MEPs after several scandals. Although AfD later expelled the controversial politician Maximilian Krah from its parliamentary delegation, the leader of the French far-right National Rally Marine Le Pen and other ID representatives decided not to accept AfD into their group for now. In response, AfD co-chair Alice Weidel announced that she would try to find new allies for an alliance in the European Parliament.
Meanwhile, AfD is increasing its number of new members. According to information from ARD's main studio on party leadership circles, the party currently has about 48,000 members. It is expected that this number will increase to 50,000 over the next two months.
Elections to the European Parliament
From June 6 to 9, elections to the European Parliament were held in EU member states. In many European countries, far-right parties gained significantly more votes than in previous elections.
In particular, Germans gave 16.5% of the vote to Alternative for Germany, the SPD party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz received 14% of the vote, and the winner was the conservative CDU/CSU bloc with 29.5% of the vote.
Alternative for Germany is considered an ally of Russia and the regime of Vladimir Putin.
