Germany AfD: Right-wing Party Picks Election Leaders

Germany’s right-wing, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has picked a new team to lead it into September’s general election.

AfD co-founder Alexander Gauland, 76, and 38-year-old economist Alice Weidel will jointly head the campaign.

The party’s current co-leader and public face of the party, Frauke Petry, has announced she will not take part.

She suffered a blow on Saturday attempting to set the AfD on a more moderate course.

Ms Petry had wanted the AfD to seek coalition with other parties and reject extremist views but delegates at the party congress in Cologne refused to even debate her motion.

Saturday also saw violent skirmishes between police and some of the 15,000 protesters who had gathered outside the congress.