A leak of more than 400,000 internal AfD emails has revealed disputes and power struggles within the German party, according to an investigation by Pauline von Pezold and Frederik Schindler. The messages reportedly show that Alice Weidel, now the party’s leader, strongly opposed sexist election posters but failed to stop them.
The emails also show Bundestag member Markus Frohnmaier collecting sensitive information for the Assad regime in Syria, the report says. Another episode concerns an earlier attempt by the AfD to expel a member over alleged racist remarks; that person is now a constitutional judge in Bavaria.
The investigation also describes an escalating internal power struggle in North Rhine-Westphalia involving state leader Martin Vincentz. The dispute has led to a criminal complaint alleging breach of trust.
Frohnmaier is also planning a Bundestag event promoting the idea of an “eastern Switzerland” that would remain neutral. The reported participation of Julia Mendel, a former spokesperson for Ukraine’s president, has prompted dismay and questions about how the AfD pursues its foreign-policy agenda.
The findings were discussed on POLITICO’s “Inside AfD” podcast, hosted by von Pezold and Schindler, which examines the party’s internal workings and its growing influence in Germany.
Sources: Politico Europe.