AfD Leader in ntv EarlyStart: Weidel Wants AfD Chancellorship Candidate – and Defends Höcke.
Has a change of course begun in the AfD?
At the beginning of the week, AfD federal spokeswoman Alice Weidel announced that she wanted to run as a chancellor candidate for her party in the 2021 federal election. The party leader is to be elected at a party conference in November/December. There, she will face co-party leader Tino Chrupalla. So far, however, he has not officially declared his candidacy.
Regarding the fact that she had lost the co-chairmanship to Chrupalla in December, Weidel said in an interview with ntv that this was no longer a topic. She had also congratulated Chrupalla on his election and wished him all the best. She also confirmed that she wanted to continue working with him as co-chair of the party. We are not done yet, she said.
Weidel defends Höcke and attacks Merz
When asked about the controversial Thuringian AfD chairman Björn Höcke, Weidel made it clear that she saw no reason to distance herself from him. In the ntv interview, she said that Höcke was a real fighter for his country and had led the AfD in Thuringia to a great success. In addition, Höcke was a democrat from head to toe.
On the other hand, Weidel repeatedly attacked CDU politician Friedrich Merz. He is the epitome of everything that is wrong in this country, said Weidel. Merz is associated with lobbying, cronyism and corruption, she criticized.
Focus on social issues
In terms of content, Weidel announced that she wanted to focus on social issues in the election campaign. The great challenges of our time are the social challenges. And that’s where my heart beats the fastest, she said. She mentioned education, security and social justice as priorities.
With regard to the corona pandemic, Weidel reiterated her criticism of the government’s measures. She accused the government of not having a plan and acting chaotically.
In the ntv interview, Weidel also ruled out any cooperation with the Left Party after the election. I will never, never, never form a coalition with the Left Party, she emphasized.
The AfD is currently the strongest opposition party in the Bundestag. In the last federal election, the party received 12.6 percent of the votes.
Kind regards E. Thompson.
