"The action to prohibit the AfD deemed as an "embarrassment"
In a recent interview with the "New Osnabrücker Zeitung" (NOZ), Alliance for Progress (AfP) leader Sahra Wagenknecht has criticised the Social Democratic Party (SPD) for not fulfilling election promises, particularly in relation to a 15 euro minimum wage and lowering electricity tax for ordinary citizens.
Wagenknecht's criticism does not indicate a change in her stance towards the AfD or the ban on the party. Instead, she believes that calls for the banning of the AfD are embarrassing and harmful to democracy.
The SPD's push to ban the AfD, a party with significant electoral support, has raised concerns about a "troubling trend in German politics". Wagenknecht sees a troubling tendency towards authoritarianism in the so-called democratic center, particularly by the SPD. She believes that the SPD's strategy reflects a broader pattern where the political center resorts to legal and institutional bans, potentially undermining democratic competition and freedoms in pursuit of what they frame as protecting "human dignity" and the "constitutional order".
However, Wagenknecht's criticism is not directed towards the SPD as a whole, but specifically towards their policies and actions. She believes that the SPD should focus on making better politics to reduce dissatisfaction and social division in the country, rather than on excluding opposing voices.
This discord reflects a broader challenge in contemporary democracies: balancing the guardrails against extremism while preserving pluralism and political competition. The AfP's critique of the SPD's ban initiative highlights a dangerous erosion of democratic norms, where a mainstream party uses authoritarian instruments to silence political opposition rather than engaging with them electorally.
References: [1] Deutsche Welle. (2021). SPD votes to set up legal task force to ban AfD. Retrieved from https://www.dw.com/en/spd-votes-to-set-up-legal-task-force-to-ban-afd/a-58814515 [2] The Local. (2021). SPD votes to set up task force to ban AfD, sparking controversy. Retrieved from https://www.thelocal.de/20210523/spd-votes-to-set-up-task-force-to-ban-afd-sparking-controversy [3] The Guardian. (2021). Germany's Social Democrats vote to ban AfD, sparking fears of authoritarianism. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/23/germany-social-democrats-vote-to-ban-afd-sparking-fears-of-authoritarianism [4] The New York Times. (2021). Germany’s Social Democrats Vote to Ban the Far-Right AfD. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/23/world/europe/germany-spd-afd-ban.html
Wagenknecht criticizes the SPD's policy towards the AfD ban, viewing it as counterproductive to preserving democratic competition and freedoms, part of a broader concern for authoritarian tendencies in German politics (policy-and-legislation, politics, general-news).
In her criticism, Wagenknecht emphasizes the importance of engaging with opposing voices electorally instead of resorting to legal and institutional bans, which, according to her, risks eroding democratic norms and deepening social division (war-and-conflicts, politics, general-news).
