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In the political landscape of Germany, the call for action against the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, classified as securely right-wing extremist by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, has intensified. The debate surrounding a potential ban of the party involves several key bodies, including the Federal Office, federal and state governments, and the Constitutional Court.
Recent developments have seen the SPD's Irene Mihalic and Konstantin von Notz criticising the lack of action from their own interior ministers regarding the AfD. They have urged for immediate preparation and collection of necessary material in a federal-state working group to initiate a ban procedure. The Greens have also joined the call, demanding swift concrete steps, such as the convening of a special interior ministers' conference regarding the AfD.
The initial classification of the AfD as a right-wing extremist endeavour, based on a detailed 1,100-page report, was made by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution in May 2025. This decision, however, is currently on hold due to legal proceedings. Some German states, including Rhineland-Palatinate, have already enacted bans on AfD members holding public-sector jobs such as civil servants, police officers, teachers, and soldiers.
To formally ban the AfD as a party, a motion must come from either the federal government, a majority in the Bundesrat (the federal states' chamber), or by a resolution in the Bundestag (the federal parliament). However, a Bundestag motion previously failed, and a federal government motion is unlikely due to doubts expressed by Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU). Some states, such as Bremen, plan to propose a ban in the Bundesrat, but securing majority support is uncertain without backing from major parties like CDU.
Initiating a ban is only the start; the Constitutional Court leads the actual judicial proceedings, with the federal government, MPs, or state governments acting as prosecution bodies. The ban process, if initiated, is expected to be lengthy and complex due to the AfD's size and legal protections under German constitutional law. The court must balance the precedent that banning a large opposition party could set.
In summary, the BfV's May 2025 extremist classification enabled states to enact immediate membership bans in critical public roles, while a formal party ban remains politically contentious and procedurally complex, requiring a motion by federal or state bodies and a lengthy judicial process before the Constitutional Court. The current steps and timeline for a potential ban of the AfD party involve several political and legal processes, with key roles played by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, federal and state governments, and the Constitutional Court.
The political landscape in Germany has prompted discussions about policy-and-legislation, with various parties, including the SPD, Greens, and some German states, pushing for a potential ban of the AfD, deemed right-wing extremist. General-news coverage has revolved around the key bodies involved, such as the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, federal and state governments, and the Constitutional Court.
Several groups, including the SPD and Greens, have called for immediate action and preparation, forming federal-state working groups to collect necessary evidence for initiating a ban procedure. The process to formally ban the AfD is complicated, requiring a motion from the federal government, a majority in the Bundesrat, or a resolution in the Bundestag, followed by lengthy judicial proceedings led by the Constitutional Court.
