Mützenich views the initiation of the AfD ban process as hasty.
A bunch of Parliament members have proposed a plan to prohibit the AfD, with SPD politicians included. The party leader of SPD, Rolf Mützenich, views this skeptically and urges his comrades to exercise caution. Mützenich advised against starting a party ban for the AfD at this moment, telling the "New Osnabrücker Zeitung" (NOZ) that the faction should remain united in dealing with this challenging issue.
The renewed debate stemmed from a motion proposing a potential AfD ban, backed by MPs from SPD, Union, Greens, and Left. Their goal is to submit a case to the Federal Constitutional Court seeking to ban the AfD.
Although Mützenich recognizes the initiative, given the AfD's threat to democracy, he emphasized that enforcing a party ban is steeped in hurdles outlined in the Basic Law and the Federal Constitutional Court. The necessary conditions have not yet been fully met to pursue this path. Furthermore, a ban case would rob opponents of the chance to politically confront the AfD – the "right-wing extremists" could maintain the "victim myth."
A ban request can be made by the Bundestag, Bundesrat, or Federal Government at the Federal Constitutional Court. In the case, it must be proven that the AfD has aggressively targeted the constitution. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution watches over the party as a potential right-wing extremist threat.
Wanderwitz: "Demonstrate democratic regulations"
The project pioneer, CDU MP Marco Wanderwitz, shared his support for bringing the motion to a vote in December or during the holiday season in "Augsburger Allgemeinen." "Some legal experts predict that the process could be finalized within 1.5 years, while others argue that it could take up to 4 years," said Wanderwitz. "This would have no effect on the federal election, as the AfD is still eligible to participate."
Wanderwitz discussed the consequences of a ban for the AfD's supporters. He noted that many voters of the party tend to be strongly egoistic. A ban would make it blatantly clear to them the democratic regulations of the country, Wanderwitz said. It is not illegal to be a right-wing radicalism supporter. "However, there is no fundamental right to have right-wing radical parties in the parliament," Wanderwitz, the previous East commissioner, pointed out.
The SPD, along with other Parliament members from Union, Greens, and Left, have proposed a motion for a potential AfD ban. Despite supporting the initiative due to the AfD's threat to democracy, SPD party leader Rolf Mützenich cautions against enforcing a ban at this time, as the necessary conditions have not been met and a ban could rob opponents of the chance to politically confront the AfD.
