Germany's far-right AfD closes ranks at party congress after scandals
World
Germany's far-right AfD closes ranks at party congress after scandals
ESSEN Germany (Reuters) - As Marine Le Pen's National Rally was winning the first round of France's parliamentary election on Sunday, Germany's far-right AfD party was meeting to map its own route to electoral success.
Alternative for Germany (AfD) has a real chance of winning elections being held in three of Germany's 16 federal states in September, came second in Germany in last month's European Parliament election, and party membership is at a record high.
But its weekend congress in the western German city of Essen was largely about doubling down on core issues and closing ranks after a series of scandals in recent months that tarnished its image.
Although the AfD is particularly strong in eastern parts of Germany, its road to power is, for now at least, blocked by the refusal of other parties to join it in a coalition.
"We will form the government in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg so that we can turn this country upside down again, dear friends," co-leader Tino Chrupalla told the congress from a stage lined with national flags. "To do this, we need a united party."
Joerg Urban, head of the AfD in Saxony, said good results in the three eastern states in September might force other parties to work with it.
"The firewall has already disappeared more or less on a communal level," he told Reuters at the congress. "The state level is the next step."
Divisions within the party have in the past overshadowed AfD congresses, but it put on an unusually united show at the weekend.
He said he was inclined to see this as a temporary blip, rather than a sign of a prolonged downturn.
