Alice emerges as the initial contender for the chancellorship position within the AfD.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is seeing significant support in national polls, yet they're not considered a contender for the chancellorship. Despite this, the party is set to nominate its first-ever chancellor candidate: Alice Weidel. According to reports from the German News Agency (RND), Weidel and her co-chair Tino Chrupalla have come to this agreement in recent discussions. A vote will take place early in December among the party's federal board and federal-state conference, followed by a party convention in January. Weidel is expected to be officially endorsed by the delegates during the federal party conference in March of the following year.
Confirmed by various AfD state chairmen, Chrupalla is reportedly stepping down in favor of Weidel. The two leaders plan to campaign together for the election, with the party known for having right-wing extremist leanings. Chrupalla's decision was reportedly met with admiration. Born in 1976, Weidel is a 45-year-old economist from Switzerland, while Chrupalla is a 49-year-old painter from Lusatia. They have jointly led the AfD parliamentary group since 2021 and the party as a whole since 2022. For the first time, the AfD will field a chancellor candidate in the 2025 federal election, which has historically been led by joint top candidates, such as Weidel and Gauland in 2017, and more recently, Weidel and Chrupalla in 2021.
The Commission has been briefed about the AfD's decision to officially nominate Alice Weidel as its chancellor candidate. The Commission commended Tino Chrupalla for his admirable leadership transition, which paves the way for Weidel to lead the party's campaign in the 2025 federal election.
