The AfD leadership duo: Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel.
After the party conference it is clear: the AfD is preparing to take power – and is working on the accusation of right-wing extremism. 5 moments that stood out.
Jul 5, 2026, 8:11 p.mJul 5, 2026, 8:11 p.m
AfD wants to govern in 2029
At the end of the party conference, Alice Weidel formulated her party’s claim unequivocally. Germany is badly governed and needs reforms, she said. After the next federal election, the AfD will “claim government” because the party is the “strongest force”. Your party is preparing for new elections soon.
“We finally have to get out of the opposition and into the government,” AfD co-chairman Tino Chrupalla called out to the MPs in his speech when it came to the state election campaigns in certain federal states. But the goal must be to take over the government “at the federal level in 2029.”
The AfD is ready. “We will win and we will govern,” said Chrupalla to thunderous applause.
The Office for the Protection of the Constitution is in its sights
At various moments at the party conference it was noticeable how strongly the AfD is still struggling with the debate about the protection of the constitution.
For the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the federal party is considered a right-wing extremist suspected case. The previous classification of the federal AfD as “certain right-wing extremist” was changed following a lawsuit by the AfD in an expedited procedure stopped for now. The Cologne Administrative Court decided in February 2026 that the Office for the Protection of the Constitution may not classify the federal party as confirmed extremist until the main proceedings and publicly treat it as such.
However, the court did not simply exonerate the AfD. It explicitly wrote that there was still a strong suspicion that the party was developing anti-constitutional efforts.
Meanwhile, Tino Chrupalla said at the party conference that the AfD wanted to appoint the interior minister if it won elections in eastern German states. Afterwards, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution will also be “taken care of”. His reasoning: The Office for the Protection of the Constitution is an authority bound by instructions. Chrupalla said: “We will ensure that political parties can no longer be observed in this country.”
Video: watson/nina bürge
Alice Weidel also had a war of words with presenter Dunja Hayali on ZDF. She strongly rejected the accusation that the “party, or parts of the party, should be right-wing extremist”.
Höcke’s camp is gaining influence
Björn Höcke himself did not run for the federal executive board. His influence was still visible at the party conference.
The Thuringian AfD politician Stefan Möller was elected deputy party leader – with the best result of the vice candidates. Möller has led the Thuringian regional association together with Höcke for years and is considered a close confidant of the right wing. When he introduced himself, Möller said: “I have a thick file with the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.”
At the same time, Höcke’s plan with the incompatibility list didn’t work. This list includes organizations whose previous membership may be incompatible with AfD membership. A motion from Björn Höcke’s environment aimed to relax the rules.
There was no open vote on this at the party conference. After a suggestion from Alice Weidel, Höcke withdrew the application – now the new federal executive board should revise the list.
That wasn’t a breakthrough for Höcke. But definitely not a final failure either: the question was just postponed – to a committee in which his camp is more strongly represented after this party conference.
Weidel’s family picture moment
One of the most striking side moments of the party conference came on a topic that Alice Weidel always finds difficult to explain – because it affects her personally.
The election program of the AfD Saxony-Anhalt states that an “intact family consisting of mother, father and children is the best prerequisite for healthy child development”. As is well known, Weidel lives with a woman in Switzerland and is raising two children with her.
When asked about the election program by RTL journalists, Weidel said: “They can write in whatever they want. I live something different.”
Same-sex relationships should be treated equally, said the AfD leader. At the same time, from her point of view, the traditional family is a social target. She doesn’t see a contradiction in following this policy and living like she does.
Weidel has made similar statements in the past: in the 2017 federal election campaign, she said publicly: “I am homosexual.” At the same time, she refused to be called “queer”.
Party conference as a major national event
One thing has been clear since this weekend at the latest: the AfD party conference is much more than an internal event.
In Erfurt, where the delegates met, there was a massive police presence since Friday, numerous media reported in live tickers and broadcasts and tens of thousands took to the streets against the party.
The police spoke of around 31,000 protesters, the “Resist” alliance of around 50,000. The Thuringian police drew a largely peaceful conclusion on Sunday, but registered 65 crimes by Sunday afternoon.
Video: watson/nina bürge
The party conference was given additional symbolism by the date. It fell on the 100th anniversary of a NSDAP meeting in the region. The AfD rejected such comparisons.
There were also smaller, bizarre scenes. A candidate for the office of Federal Auditor spoke on stage about a “little fetish” for counting gold bars – which he should continue to be able to do with an election.
And: During the party conference, the “Imperial March” from “Star Wars” suddenly sounded from hidden loudspeakers.