So far, the AfD in the European Parliament plays no role. That’s about to change. This requires ideas, candidates, and allies. The party Congress in Magdeburg, shows how Germany’s right-wing populists are set up for it.
“Populists of all countries, unite – together we are strong against the ‘EU super state’!” Free this incantation the “Alternative for Germany” (AfD) motivated summarized for the elections to the European Parliament in may 2019. So it sounded at the weekend at the AfD-Europe party Congress in Magdeburg.
The elected top candidate of the German right-wing populist Jörg Meuthen, announced in front of almost 600 delegates: He was working on “one big group”. Is most meant a close cooperation with other European right-wing populists. Heinz-Christian Strache in Austria, Matteo Salvini in Italy and Viktor Orban in Hungary are Meuthen are the “natural allies” of the AfD, so.
The choice came as no surprise. Meuthen is already now in the European Parliament, and also Co-chair of the AfD. However, it is not likely to be easy for him to implement his Plan – for a number of reasons. One is That the populists were among good friends, is a myth, it is said in Brussels. It is not a coincidence whose representatives are distributed on three groups: ENF, EFDD and ECR. To find populist allies in Brussels, apparently, is not so easy.
Fear of contact with the AfD
Currently, the “Alternative for Germany” in the European Parliament, not a big role. After the 2014 election, the seven AfD members moved in. But only Meuthen representing his party. The other six elected officials have left the AfD in the meantime – victims of intra-party infighting between Moderates and Radicals. The cooperation in the “party family” to stimulate, not managed Meuthen yet. A supranational shoulder-to-shoulder with European partners in any case he could not present yet.
As his predecessor in the office of the party Chairman Frauke Petry was, already: in 2016, Petry with FPÖ-Chef Strache celebrated a common beer-bash on Germany’s highest mountain, the Acute. At the beginning of 2017, a “summit meeting” with Geert Wilders from the Netherlands, Marine Le Pen from France and the Italian Salvini followed. After Petrys leaving the party in the fall of 2017, it was not comparable.
The top candidate Meuthen: “Strache, Salvini and Orban are the natural allies of the AfD”
“You don’t see relatively little international commitment of the AfD, which has not not only do to the fact that the AfD would like to, but also so that the other parties just want to” AfD Aussteigerin Franziska Schreiber. In the summer book “Inside AfD” creates a gloomy scenario, according to which the AfD is a little more to brake the spiral of radicalisation to the right caught.
This is the reason for the skepticism of others, so the writers. “Because the FPÖ leadership, or Marine Le Pen are just trying their parties from the extreme right rate to keep this one away.” No one wants to “burn the fingers”, because, you know, “what is the scandal, ride the AfD as the next lost, and whether the impact on the domestic election campaign”. Petry, however, have had the confidence to want their party from the “extreme right” course.
Currently, the AfD must even expect to be by the German constitutional protection observed. By the end of the year, the authorities will be decided. That would be also for the international Image of a setback.
Populist is not the same as Populist
Unlike Petry list of potential Alliance partner is missing in Meuthens a Name: Marine Le Pen. The programmatic reasons. Populist is obviously not the same Populist, there are major differences.
After the European election in 2015 substantive differences between the then National Front and the AfD is not meant that you went to Brussels. Meuthen – economic liberal and free-trade friend – not like today, the protectionist tones of France. In a DW Interview, he announced now, however, a softer line. It was a matter of “build trust” and to be ready for compromises.
Right-wing populists Bannon and Le Pen (in March, in Lille): building a “national International” without AfD?
It is striking that another Name was not in Magdeburg: Steve Bannon. The controversial Ex-adviser to US President Donald Trump travels, the most since the summer criss-crossing the Europe of the populists, a “national International” for the European election. Only in Germany, he was not officially yet. Jörg Meuthen tried in the DW-Interview to appease. Finally, Bannon had called him, in the meantime, maybe there is soon a common coffee.
But that can not hide: Bannons favorite partners are the most other populist. Italy is the “beating heart of modern politics”, he said in the summer. The series will Brexit Veteran Nigel Farage and Marine Le Pen – not a AfD-politician close to the Bannons. Recently, it was now called, he would like to open up in Budapest, an office for his Foundation.
On the other hand, the AfD also scepticism towards Bannon. In the parliamentary election, the AfD had hired two advisers from the Bannon-environment. With only moderate success, as in the parliamentary group is told. The political thinking to be wise, but very different. This skepticism seems to have dissipated. “In the European election campaign, Mr Bannon will certainly play no role,” said Meuthen in the DW-Interview.
Run to Europe
The AfD sends a combative force to Brussels. The list seats were in hot demand. There were at the party Congress in Magdeburg until Sunday evening, around 200 candidates, as many candidates talking and again and again, run-off elections. On Monday to be selected.
The Chosen are formally highly qualified, with international experience and a civil self-aware in the Occurrence. The party leadership had taken the matter very seriously, has been reported; they wanted to be in Brussels finally competent. Probably, therefore, were sought in the run-up to candidates and majorities were organized. However, since the AfD is also ticking democratically, but then individual fighters to choose from.
Your lowest common denominator was to build back The EU into a “Europe of Nations”! To prevent a “EUdSSR”, i.e. a kind of European Revival of the USSR, the unfree Soviet Union. “We don’t want to leave the EU, but to reform,” says Alexander Gauland, the other Co-chair of the AfD. The EU should back to your original idea of a “common port”.
Co-party leader Gauland: “The EU is not to leave, but reform”
A lot of buzzwords, a lot of populism – and what does that mean, exactly? The AfD will decide in January, the EU-election program. The top candidate Meuthen was, nevertheless, a Outlook for what the AfD in the European Parliament said that: “migration mess”, and “Switzerland” – so more direct democracy – are advancing as well as the “currency problem” to take it more seriously.
Surprisingly, Jörg Meuthen described in the DW-Interview also supra-national tasks for the EU, which are therefore not solve alone national. External protection, environmental policy, borders and the internal market, he cited as examples.
“Mentality bridges to Eastern Europe”
For all of these points, however, the AfD will need partners in the EU. Maybe that’s why she Co-chief Gauland in Magdeburg, striking to the East. To countries where there are already similar ideas to the migration policy, as in the case of the “Alternative for Germany”. The Germans had historically, too “mentality, bridges to East Europe to see,” said Gauland.
And, in the case of the Berlin and Brussels planned EU migration policy in Eastern Europe don’t play, have the AfD a “full understanding”. There, the Turks had finally prevailed in past centuries, for a long time. The Eastern Europeans accepted now, not just the “half-moon as a necessary completion of the chroma range”, is understandable. There was a lot of applause in the hall.
But Magdeburg was also revealed points of controversy between the party leadership and the base. Alexander Gauland don’t want to leave the EU. In the case of several delegates, but the word “De-Exit”, i.e. a possible German exit from the EU, followed by much applause. The radicalisation spiral, in front of the AfD-Aussteigerin writer warns, seems to be more in the swing.
This is also reflected in some of the word choice: “fall of the evening country”, “parasitic Clowns”, “degenerate party system in the German Reichstag”, “flooding from the Islamic cultural circle”, came the reply from the pulpit in Magdeburg. The delegates seemed not to dread. At least some speakers with controversial choice of words were chosen at the end of on the list of candidates for the European elections.