The AfD denies that it is undemocratic. Party leaders reject the decision, accusing the judges of failing to provide enough evidence to support their decision.
AfD lawyers announced they would appeal the decision. But any subsequent challenges can only focus on procedural issues, not the legal content of today’s decision.
The AfD has recently fallen in the polls, falling from around 20 votes at the start of the year to around 16%.
This may be partly due to massive protests against the AfD across the country after it was revealed that party officials attended a secret meeting discussing the expulsion of people from non-German origin.
A number of scandals over allegations of spying for China and alleged ties to the Kremlin have also shaken support.
Perhaps the biggest problem for the AfD is that other right-wing parties are eating into their poll numbers.
New insurgent parties are peddling a similar anti-migrant message and some mainstream conservatives appear increasingly radical when it comes to asylum seekers, in some cases even pushing for a Rwandan program like the United Kingdom.
The move may simply strengthen far-right support among the AfD’s core voters, who exploit a narrative of victimization and believe the party is a target of the mainstream in Germany.
But the AfD leadership is shaken by such cases. If the party has become radicalized over the years, its leaders are trying at the same time to detoxify the brand image to attract undecided voters.
In rural East Germany, the AfD is already a dominant force in some municipal councils, sometimes even cooperating with other parties on basic local issues.
But at the regional and national level, no other parties will collaborate with the AfD to form coalitions, so it is so far excluded from real political power.
This is why the regional elections in three large East German states in September are so important.
The AfD is leading the polls in certain regions and wants to enter a regional government coalition in the short term. In the long term, his goal is to enter the national government.
Announcements such as Monday’s decision make things more difficult – not only by putting off moderate voters, but also by stoking debate about banning the AfD altogether.
For years, discussions of a ban have regularly surfaced. Critics of the idea say it would simply play into the hands of the AfD by reinforcing its narrative of victimhood.
Legally, this would also be difficult, take time and could be rejected by the Constitutional Court.
But with each new scandal involving the AfD, calls grow louder from all mainstream parties to investigate whether there are at least sufficient reasons to try.
