German far-right mulls country's exit from EU

The Alternative for Germany, or AfD, party plans to push for a referendum on Germany's European Union membership if it gains power, stating that the United Kingdom's departure from the bloc, which was known as Brexit, serves as a model for the country.

In an interview with the Financial Times newspaper, Alice Weidel, leader of the AfD, said she believes Germany "could have a referendum on "Dexit" — a German exit from the EU".

Weidel stated that if her party were to form a government, it would focus on reforming the EU, addressing its "democratic deficit", and reducing the powers of the unelected European Commission.

"But if a reform isn't possible, if we fail to rebuild the sovereignty of the EU member states, we should let the people decide, just as Britain did," she said.

Winning a referendum on Germany's EU membership would be challenging as more than 80 percent of the population is in favor of remaining in the EU. Less than half of AfD members would vote for a German exit, said the FT.

The statement is one of the first from the party since a series of nationwide protests against the AfD that were sparked by the exposure of a covert meeting attended by prominent members where discussions were held with extremists about mass deportations, including forcibly removing millions who have immigrant backgrounds, including citizens.

The protests gained momentum over the weekend, with an estimated 1 million people participating in 90 different demonstrations across the country.

Despite the scandal, the AfD remains second in national polls, with 23 percent of voters supporting the party, according to Politico's Poll of Polls.

Weidel said the revelations, reported by the investigative outlet Correctiv, were "scandalous" and that they misrepresented her party.

"It was just an attempt to criminalize the very idea of repatriating people lawfully who don't have leave to remain here, or are subject to a deportation order," she said.

She clarified that the AfD's intention was only to use the law to repatriate individuals who did not have the right to stay in Germany, and emphasized that the AfD advocates for the enforcement of the country's laws.

The AfD was established in 2013 by a group of conservative economists who were dissatisfied with bailouts that were implemented during the eurozone debt crisis that began in 2009.

Weidel, who previously worked for Goldman Sachs and Allianz Global Investors, has been leading the AfD since 2022, and has led its parliamentary group since 2017.

Hans Vorlander, a political scientist at Dresden University of Technology, was cited by the FT as saying Weidel gives the AfD "an aura of bourgeois respectability that has strong appeal for middle-class voters beyond its traditional hard-right base".

The AfD is anticipated to win several elections in eastern Germany in the fall. However, the party would need to form a coalition in order to enter government, and the party leader has acknowledged that this is highly unlikely to happen "before 2029", but was adamant that the party's involvement in government is "inevitable".