The Daily Telegraph

Far-right AFD could split after leader quits

- By Justin Huggler in Berlin

THE resurgent German far-right looked in danger of imploding within hours of its electoral triumph yesterday, as one of its most prominent new MPS announced she was leaving her party and would sit as an independen­t.

Frauke Petry stunned colleagues at a press conference yesterday morning when she announced she would not take up the Alternativ­e for Germany (AFD) party whip in parliament.

The AFD became the first far-right party to sit in the Bundestag since 1961 after it came third in Sunday’s general election, which left Angela Merkel in place as chancellor despite her coalition suffering losses.

The AFD is on course to win 94 seats in parliament with 12.6 per cent of the vote. But Ms Petry lashed out at colleagues, accusing them of condoning racism and turning the AFD into a protest party. “The sort of anarchic party the AFD has become in recent weeks can be successful in opposition, but cannot offer a credible alternativ­e government,” she said.

Ms Petry made the comments as Mrs Merkel faced her own problems yesterday amid reports her Bavarian sister party was considerin­g abandoning its traditiona­l joint whip with her Christian Democratic Union party (CDU) in parliament. The Christian Social Union (CSU) was said to be considerin­g its options after a disastrous election in which its top nominee for a cabinet job, Joachim Herrmann, did not win a seat. Though abandoning the joint whip would be a symbolic blow to Mrs Merkel, the CSU is thought unlikely to refuse to join a new coalition, for fear new elections could cause it further losses.

Piling further pressure on Mrs Merkel, Alexander Gauland, the leader of the Afd’s election campaign, pledged that the party would fight “an invasion of foreigners”. “One million foreigners are being brought into this country and taking away a piece of this country and we in the AFD don’t want that,” he said, referring to Mrs Merkel’s refugee policy.

Party colleagues were shocked when Ms Petry made her announceme­nt at a joint press conference that was supposed to be a moment of triumph. Ms Petry is still officially the party leader, though she has been sidelined in recent months and did not run the election campaign. “After long considerat­ion I have decided I will not take up the AFD whip in parliament,” she said, before abruptly leaving the press conference.

“This was not discussed with us, we didn’t know about it,” said a bewildered Jörg Meuthen, co-chairman of the party.

Ms Petry told reporters she intended to sit as an independen­t MP “to prepare a conservati­ve turnaround and implement a sensible AFD policy”.

The move suggested she is attempting to lead a breakaway faction and left the AFD at risk of a split before its MPS have taken up their seats. In part, her withdrawal will be seen as revenge after she was effectivel­y ousted as leader in a party coup by hardliners led by Mr Gauland and Mr Meuthen earlier this year.

The AFD was a hard-right party under Ms Petry, and she courted controvers­y as leader, calling for border guards to open fire on refugees. But the party has moved further to the Right, and Ms Petry made it clear she was unhappy with remarks by Mr Gauland and others calling for an end to the culture of guilt over Germany’s Nazi past.

 ??  ?? Frauke Petry stunned colleagues in the AFD by announcing she is leaving the party to sit as an independen­t
Frauke Petry stunned colleagues in the AFD by announcing she is leaving the party to sit as an independen­t

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