Germany’s ruling party moves to ban Putin-backed AfD, Merz pushes back
German Bundestag chamber (Photo: bundestag.de)
Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) plans to push for a legislative ban on the pro-Russian party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which managed to secure seats in the Bundestag in the latest elections. However, the SPD's coalition partners — the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz — have opposed the move, according to the German outlet Zeit.
The proposal to initiate the procedure for banning the AfD was unanimously approved by delegates at the SPD’s federal party conference. First, a working group will be set up to gather evidence of the party’s anti-constitutional activities.
If sufficient evidence is found, the case will be submitted to the Federal Constitutional Court. After that, SPD leader Lars Klingbeil believes, banning the AfD in Germany will become inevitable.
In addition, the conference adopted a resolution aimed at countering AfD’s policies. It is clear that simply banning the party will not resolve all the ideological issues brought into politics by supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"That’s why the working group has been tasked with developing a strategy to counter the policies of Alternative for Germany, both in terms of content and practical action. The SPD’s goal is to permanently steer voters away from Alternative for Germany," the outlet reports.
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil stated that it is the party’s historic mission to drive the AfD out of politics — and to do so for good. He emphasized that the SPD has all the constitutional tools necessary to achieve this.
Voices of opposition
However, there’s a catch: the main political partners of the Social Democrats oppose banning the AfD. The CDU/CSU, including current Chancellor Friedrich Merz, believes that banning Alternative for Germany is unnecessary.
This stance doesn’t signal any sympathy from Merz or his party toward the friends of Putin in the Bundestag. Rather, Merz and the CDU/CSU argue that banning the AfD, even through constitutional mechanisms, would only strengthen the party instead of weakening it.
Merz proposes defeating the AfD politically, not through the Federal Constitutional Court. He also notes that the outcome of such a legal challenge is unpredictable and could have unintended consequences.
Far-right friends of Putin
AfD (Alternative for Germany) is a far-right party founded in 2013 as a critic of the EU and migration policy. It gained notoriety for its hardline anti-immigration stance, Euroscepticism, and nationalist rhetoric.
Since 2022, the party has adopted an openly pro-Russian position, earning it the dubious distinction of being labeled friends of Putin. In the February 2025 parliamentary elections, AfD secured over 20% of the vote, becoming the second-largest force in the Bundestag until the CDU/CSU and SPD formed a coalition government.
Recognizing the danger posed by these far-right Putin supporters, on May 2, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution officially classified AfD as an extremist organization. This designation was based on the party’s hostile rhetoric, disregard for Holocaust remembrance, and use of Nazi slogans.
This status allows the state to monitor the party more closely and potentially opens the door to an eventual ban. The AfD has called the move political persecution, and the United States attempted unsuccessfully to intervene in the party’s defense.
