Parties - Brandenburg SPD takes a cautious view of AfD ban debate
Brandenburg's SPD General Secretary David Kolesnyk has expressed caution in the debate about banning the AfD. "With its ruling on the NPD ban proceedings, the Federal Constitutional Court has also determined that the party ban is the sharpest sword," Kolesnyk told the German Press Agency. "In this respect, it is important to regularly look at what measures can be taken in the interests of defensive democracy with regard to any anti-constitutional aspirations." The starting point is the assessment of the constitution protection and security authorities, which are at different stages.
SPD leader Saskia Esken considers a motion to ban the AfD to be an option. "Such a party ban is rightly subject to high hurdles. But I am convinced that we should keep examining it," Esken told the German Press Agency.
New state parliaments will be elected in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg in September. The AfD is leading the polls in all three eastern states.
According to the Basic Law, a party can be banned if it actively campaigns against the free democratic basic order and has a certain chance of success. Brandenburg's left-wing parliamentary group leader Sebastian Walter called for the AfD to be banned at the end of November.
The Brandenburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified the AfD regional association as a suspected right-wing extremist organization in 2020. Last year, it classified the youth organization Junge Alternative in Brandenburg as a confirmed right-wing extremist movement. The AfD, on the other hand, considers itself to be based on the free democratic basic order.
"The prohibition of anti-constitutional parties and activities, regardless of their ideological origin, is quite clearly regulated following the decisions of the Federal Constitutional Court on the NPD," said the SPD General Secretary. "However, this also means that there is no blanket answer." In any case, the independent federal and state authorities for the protection of the constitution were doing their job first.
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- The Federal Constitutional Court's ruling on the NPD ban proceedings serves as a reminder that party bans represent the strongest measure in defending democracy, as stated by Brandenburg SPD's General Secretary David Kolesnyk to the German Press Agency.
- Saskia Esken, the SPD leader, while acknowledging the high hurdles associated with banning parties, emphasizes the need to continually examine the possibility of banning the AfD due to its anti-constitutional tendencies.
- As the September elections for new state parliaments draw near in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg, the AfD leads the polls in all three eastern states, adding to the intensity of the debate about its potential ban.
- The concept of party bans in Germany is based on the Basic Law, which stipulates that a party can be banned if it actively opposes the free democratic basic order and has a substantial chance of success.
- In recognition of the AfD's right-wing extremist leanings, the Brandenburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified the regional association as a suspected extremist organization in 2020.
- In relation to the issue of banning parties, SPD General Secretary David Kolesnyk reiterated that while the prohibition of anti-constitutional parties and activities is governed by the decisions of the Federal Constitutional Court, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and the role of independent federal and state constitutional protection agencies remains crucial.
Source: www.stern.de
