Mona Neubaur, the Deputy Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia (Green Party), has called for the rapid establishment of a federal-state round table to discuss a potential ban procedure for the AfD. Speaking to the “Frankfurter Rundschau,” Neubaur insisted that “there can be no political standstill when it comes to dealing with the AfD.”
Neubaur detailed her concerns, asserting that the AfD is not merely a party with nationalist and anti-democratic views. She stated that its unreserved proximity to imperialist and authoritarian regimes, such as Russia, coupled with its attacks on press and scientific freedom and its contempt for the rule of law, makes it a serious threat to Germany’s open society and both its domestic and international security.
Adding that the necessary information is already available at both the federal and state levels, she stressed that this data must finally be compiled and evaluated. She specifically held Federal Interior Minister Dobrindt responsible for this task, urging him to immediately convene a federal-state working group. This group, she advised, must consult with the Ministry of Justice to determine if the prerequisites for a party ban procedure have been met. “The federal government must not postpone this issue any longer. The ball is in Minister Dobrindt’s court,” she concluded.
The debate surrounding a potential AfD ban was recently reignited by statements from Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) and Baden-Württemberg Minister-President Cem Özdemir (Green), who addressed the topic in a guest contribution shortly before the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt.
