AfD Is Now Germany's Most Popular Party For The First Time Ever As 'Ban' Efforts Escalate
If the vote were held today, the two parties set to enter government, the Social Democrats (SPD) and the CDU, would not have enough votes to enter government. The SPD is at 15 percent, giving the two parties a combined total of 40 percent. The poll showed that support for the Greens dropped a point to 11 percent and the Left Party also dropped a point to 9 percent.
BREAKING: 🇩🇪The AfD party is now the most popular party in Germany for the first time ever, soaring to 26%.The main German parties are working to ban the AfD, and a vote on a ban is expected in the coming months in the new Bundestag.Follow: @RMXnews pic.twitter.com/Czf0gJcNgs — Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) April 22, 2025
The news comes at a time when the left is racing to vote on a ban on the AfD in the German parliament, the Bundestag, a topic covered in detail by Remix News. However, despite inital reports that the CDU would back such a ban, the picture is becoming muddier.
For one, there are more and more voices in the CDU and its sister party, the CSU, who are calling for 'more calm' towards the AfD, including from the influential vice-chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Jens Spahn. Spahn even said that the AfD should be able to lead some of the committee in the Bundestag, which would give the party more say and power. Given that it received the second-most votes during the German election, it should, like all other parties, have access to these committees, but many want to shut it out completely, especially from intelligence committees.
The issue could lead to a major split in the coalition between the CDU and SPD. SPD Bundestag member Ralf Stegner told Welt his party has 'absolutely no sense of humor' on any attempt to go easy on the AfD.
🇩🇪🚨 "Germany needs the AfD"Young women are increasingly promoting the AfD party on TikTok.Many of them feel increasingly unsafe in Germany, and they believe AfD is the answer. pic.twitter.com/iXemPYBV0c — Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) February 16, 2025
He said any kind of rapprochement would represent a 'maximum stress test' for the new coalition govenrment.
'Anyone who wants to form a coalition with the SPD cannot join forces with right-wing radicals. And joining forces also means voting for enemies of democracy,' he said. The MP, known for his left-wing views, instead is calling for a ban on the AfD if the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) classifies the party as 'confirmed right-wing extremist.'
'If the Office for the Protection of the Constitution upgrades its classification, then we also have a duty to work towards initiating a ban on the party,' Stegner said.
🇩🇪‼️ Young German woman explains why voters are turning to the AfD"I'm afraid to travel by train, afraid to go into town, afraid to do anything in public. And they talk about people being afraid of the AfD. The AfD has done nothing to anyone, unlike other people." pic.twitter.com/hYlQVKXb1Q — Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) February 10, 2025
However, Welt reports that CDU is rejecting an 'automoatic' approach to banning the AfD.
Click here to read more…
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Insider
5 hours ago
- Gulf Insider
Refugees In Austria Accused Of Failing German Courses
A new report by Austria's Public Employment Service (AMS) has sparked controversy after suggesting that some refugees are intentionally failing German language courses to avoid being placed in low-paying jobs. The findings, published in the study 'New Refugees from Syria on the Austrian Labor Market,' highlight a growing challenge for integration policy, with concerns that language training, once seen as the key to employment, is becoming a barrier instead. In the report, one first-hand account from a Syrian woman who studied medicine in her home country and worked as a paediatrician in Turkey, criticized what she sees as a systemic problem: qualified Syrian women being pushed into cleaning jobs without any consideration of their professional skills. She claims that, in response, some refugees purposely fail their language exams to avoid being forced into such low-status work. Central to her complaint is the issue of inadequate wages, which she says often do not even cover basic living expenses, making social benefits a more attractive option. The case study appears to be supported by AMS data, which showed that two-thirds of those granted asylum or subsidiary protection require literacy training, and 44 percent are completely illiterate. As reported by Kosmo, the AMS notes that 30 percent of refugees still have no German-language knowledge even 18 months after registering in Austria. Many spent years in transit countries before arriving, and in some cases, they cannot even read in their native language. In July 2025, the unemployment rate for Syrians in Austria stood at 45.4 percent. Vienna is the epicenter of the problem, with more than half of all unemployed migrants living in the capital. Meanwhile, in other federal states, tens of thousands of low-skilled jobs remain unfilled. The AMS acknowledges that deliberately failing courses to avoid work may occur, but insists this is not a widespread practice. 'There are probably isolated cases, but this does not exist as a perceptible phenomenon,' the agency says. However, it concedes that proving deliberate failure is 'hardly feasible in practice.' Sanctions are only possible if it can be clearly demonstrated that a person intentionally sabotaged their course or exam. The issue is also closely linked to Austria's welfare system. Some migrants may calculate that low-skilled work pays less than the combined value of unemployment benefits and minimum income support. The AMS does not deny that the financial incentive to remain unemployed exists. The Austrian federal government is attempting to reform the system to ensure that work pays more than benefits. Starting in 2026, asylum seekers who skip compulsory language courses or fail the final exam will face cuts to their social welfare payments. In Lower and Upper Austria, such measures are already in place, with reductions of up to 50 percent for those who refuse to participate. Earlier this week, the reality of mass immigration in Austria was laid bare after new figures from the Statistical Yearbook on Migration and Integration found that women from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq living in Austria have an average birth rate almost three times higher than that of Austrian-born women. The new generation with a growing Muslim population is having a profound effect in Austria, particularly in education. In October 2024, federal data revealed that more than three-quarters of students in Vienna's middle schools do not speak German at home, putting pressure on an education system designed for single-language learning. A survey at the same time by the local teachers' union at some of Vienna's 100 compulsory schools revealed not only systematic issues like language barriers, but also extreme incidents, including assaults on teachers, situations where parents of schoolchildren asked a teacher to wear a burqa, and even the presence of mock executions. It has led to teachers leaving their profession — 20 a day on average in 2024 — and other educators speaking out on the 'rapid Islamization' of the Austrian capital. 'Islam is changing our society in ways we do not want,' said longtime principal of a Vienna middle school, Christian Klar, in an interview with Christian magazine Corrigenda last year. Also read: Birth Rate Among Refugee Women In Austria Nearly Triple That Of Native-Born Austrians
Daily Tribune
2 days ago
- Daily Tribune
Youth Pioneer Society Launches 8th Edition of 'Young Parliamentarian 2025'
The Youth Pioneer Society has launched the eighth edition of its Young Parliamentarian 2025 programme under the patronage of Shura Council Chairman, His Excellency Ali bin Saleh Al-Saleh. The initiative is organised in partnership with the British Embassy in Bahrain and the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation, alongside media partners Al Ayam Newspaper and Bahrain Tribune. It aims to empower young leaders, encouraging them to take an active role in legislative development and public policy. The programme focuses on strengthening young people's understanding of parliamentary work, legislative culture, and oversight roles. It also helps them analyse public issues, develop solutions, and align their work with the Sustainable Development Goals. Over the years, the initiative has produced standout youth who have gone on to make an impact in various sectors. Society Chairperson Ameera Mahmood said the programme has become one of the Kingdom's most important youth empowerment projects, blending theoretical knowledge with hands-on training. She highlighted the value of international partnerships, which bring global expertise and enrich the training experience. Programme General Coordinator Jawaher AlSenan noted that this year's edition will feature new training content to reflect current legislative developments and priorities. She added that the initiative provides a platform for young voices to engage in meaningful dialogue with decision-makers. Registration and interviews for the programme will open on 20 August 2025. The Society encouraged ambitious youth from different fields to apply and benefit from this unique opportunity.
Daily Tribune
4 days ago
- Daily Tribune
European leaders back Putin-Trump-Zelensky meeting
AFP | European leaders on Saturday expressed support for a three-way summit between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia's Vladimir Putin and US leader Donald Trump, after a US-Russia summit failed to produce a ceasefire. A statement, signed by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, insisted on maintaining pressure on Russia until peace was achieved, including through sanctions. Friday's Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska ended without the US president extracting concrete commitments from Putin to halt Russia's invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022. "We will continue to strengthen sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia's war economy until there is a just and lasting peace," said the statement. The European leaders also insisted Moscow "cannot have a veto" on Ukraine joining the European Union or NATO. Russia has made clear it will not tolerate Kyiv's membership of the defence alliance. But the leaders said they were "ready to work ... towards a trilateral summit with European support". European leaders had been uneasy over Trump's diplomatic outreach to Putin, arguing that Zelensky should have been involved in the Alaska summit. In a separate statement, Starmer praised Trump's efforts as bringing "us closer than ever before to ending Russia's illegal war in Ukraine". But Macron, writing on X, cautioned against what he said was Russia's "well-documented tendency to not keep its own commitments". He called for any future peace deal to have "unbreakable" security guarantees. He also argued for increased pressure on Russia until "a solid and durable peace" had been achieved. The European leader welcomed what they called "security guarantees" made by Trump without giving details. A diplomatic source told AFP that Trump had offered Ukraine guarantees similar to NATO membership, but without it joining the alliance.
