AfD party conference: Strict migration policy and EU realignment in focus

AfD party conference: Strict migration policy and EU realignment in focus

At its party conference in Riesa on January 11, 2025, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) adopted key points of its election program for the federal election. In it they call for a more radical migration policy, which is subsumed under the controversial term “remigration”. This was a reaction to the party's successes in the last elections. Ein weiterer markanter Punkt ist der geforderte Austritt Deutschlands aus dem Euro und die Wiedereinführung der Deutschen Mark. The Prime Minister of Hesse, Björn Höcke, made it clear that the AfD would not allow itself to be dictated which terms it could use, pointing to the positive elections that were achieved using the term “remigration”. oe24 reported.

Central demands and positions

The newly designed election program also calls for the reintroduction of compulsory military service. This is considered necessary to ensure the security of the country. A critical aspect of the party conference was the vote on an explicit condemnation of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which the AfD rejected. Instead, an interest in restoring trade with Russia and repairing the blown Nord Stream pipelines is proclaimed. In addition, the discussion about possible support for the return of migrants to their countries of origin was initiated, which further fuels the debates surrounding migration policy, as in AfD election program is presented.

On another point, the AfD is against granting German citizenship to people without German ancestors, which is a clear sign of demarcation. Various political proposals also demand that the definition of “family” in the election manifesto emphasize that it consists of father, mother and children. This could potentially lead to tensions in the internal party and application process, especially in light of the current political landscape and the different life models.