Sat Dec 07 16:20:45 UTC 2024: ## Far-Right AfD Nominates Weidel for Chancellor in Upcoming German Snap Election
**Berlin, Germany** – The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has nominated its leader, Alice Weidel, as its candidate for chancellor in the snap elections expected on February 23rd, 2024. Weidel, a fluent Mandarin speaker with a doctorate in economics from China and a background in finance, accepted the nomination on Saturday. Her candidacy, though largely symbolic given the AfD’s lack of a viable path to a parliamentary majority, highlights the party’s growing influence.
The nomination comes in the wake of the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition government in November. Scholz, facing internal disputes and dwindling public approval, announced a vote of confidence, paving the way for the early elections. Weidel justified the AfD’s candidacy by citing the party’s current polling numbers, which place it in second position nationally, behind the CDU/CSU bloc.
Weidel’s platform is characterized by anti-immigration stances and euroscepticism. She aims to return Germany to “global leadership,” a vision that has drawn criticism, with opponents labeling her a “ruthless opportunist.” Protests against the AfD’s nomination took place outside the party meeting in Berlin.
The AfD, strongest in eastern Germany, is currently under surveillance by the domestic intelligence agency in Saxony and Thuringia due to right-wing extremism within certain branches. Other expected candidates for chancellor include Olaf Scholz (SPD), Friedrich Merz (CDU), and Robert Habeck (Greens). The upcoming election is poised to be a highly contested race, fueled by public discontent with the current government, economic anxieties, and divergent views on issues such as immigration and support for Ukraine.
First Piper 