July 4, 2026, 1:34 p.mJuly 4, 2026, 2:05 p.m
Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla remain at the head of the AfD. The party conference in Erfurt confirmed both of them as chairmen for the next two years. Weidel received 81.3 percent, Chrupalla 70 percent – a significant setback for Chrupalla, a slight plus for Weidel. At the party conference in Essen in 2024, Chrupalla got almost 83 percent and Weidel around 80 percent.
There were no opposing candidates this time either. Both suggested each other. The delegates had previously decided by a clear majority that the party should continue to be led by a dual leadership. According to the statutes, a single leader would also be possible.
Tino Chrupalla remains AfD co-leader.Image: keystone
Weidel sharply attacked Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU). This is the Vivaldi among heads of government – “an announcement of reform for all four seasons”. “Every time he hits the timpani hard and then a string concert follows.” She accused Merz of canceling promises. There was loud cheering in the hall when the exclamation: “We will rigorously deport!”
In his application speech, Chrupalla emphasized the AfD’s claim to power: “We want to govern,” he said. It has grown into a people’s party. They have proven that they can handle opposition work. “And we will govern, first in one country, then in the federal government.” You have to be well prepared.
State elections in the fall in view – Weidel: Super year for AfD
The party conference is taking place at a time when the AfD is stronger than ever before in nationwide polls. The party also has hopes of participating in government for the first time with the state elections in the east of the country in September. The year 2026 will be the great election year for the AfD, said Weidel.
Possibly in order not to endanger the prospects, Weidel nipped in the bud a debate proposed by the Thuringian state leader Björn Höcke and some colleagues. It was about relaxing the rules for not accepting people into the AfD who were previously members of an extremist party. Weidel assured that the new federal executive board would revise the so-called incompatibility list.
AfD top duo for four years
Chrupalla, a 51-year-old master painter from Saxony, and the 47-year-old economist Weidel have led the AfD together since summer 2022. Weidel has developed into a prominent AfD leading figure and was announced as a candidate for chancellor in the 2025 federal election campaign.
Alice Weidel was also able to defend her position.Image: keystone
Chrupalla, once supported by AfD co-founder Alexander Gauland, has been at the head of the AfD since November 2019, initially alongside Jörg Meuthen, who later left the AfD because it became too radical for him. Chrupalla is now the longest-serving boss the AfD has had since it was founded in 2013.
AfD avoids blockades by arriving early
As expected, the party conference was accompanied by extensive protests. Tens of thousands of demonstrators were out in Erfurt. Despite access roads being blocked, the delegates’ meeting began without delays, as most of the approximately 600 AfD members had already arrived in the early hours of the morning. Accompanied by the police, they were taken in buses to the Erfurt trade fair. According to a spokesman, 540 delegates were already on site before 5 a.m.
Chrupalla opened the meeting with the words: “The early bird catches the worm. The Antifa rioters missed their own disruptive maneuver.” Weidel addressed political opponents and demonstrators with the words: “You won’t break us down, on the contrary, we are getting stronger and bigger.” To great cheers, her party called for “the entire country” to be covered in black, red and gold.
Candidates for further AfD top posts
In addition to the election of party leaders, twelve other board positions are up for vote in Erfurt. There are candidates for combat in several positions, such as deputy positions. In some cases, AfD politicians from the same regional association compete against each other.
The Thuringian Stefan Möller, co-boss and confidant of Höcke, is set to join the management team. The Thuringian Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies both as right-wing extremists. The AfD itself is classified as definitely right-wing extremist by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, among others.
“We are on the road to victory in history,” said Höcke, host of the party conference, to the delegates. The so-called firewall made the AfD big. (sda/dpa)