Far-right Alternative for Germany reports surge in membership
World
Far-right Alternative for Germany reports surge in membership
ESSEN, Germany (Reuters) - Leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany on Saturday reported a surge in membership and vowed to build on its success in the European Parliament election as it targets wins in three state votes in the east this year.
The AfD jumped to second place in nationwide polls last year amid frustration with infighting in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition and worries over sluggish growth in Europe's largest economy and the war in Ukraine.
While a string of scandals and anti-extremism protests has dampened support in recent months, the nationalist, eurosceptic party nonetheless came second with 15.9% in the European vote this month, ahead the three parties in Scholz's coalition.
AfD membership had grown by 60% to 46,881 members since January 2023, co-chief Tino Chrupalla told nearly 600 delegates at the party's convention in the western city of Essen. Some 22,000 people had joined the party while 4,000 had left it.
"Despite all the harassment you have to endure as a member of the AfD, this is an absolutely sensational figure," Chrupalla told the party convention.
