AfD re-elects Weidel and Chrupalla at Erfurt congress, targets first state win as 20,000 protest
Germany's far-right AfD re-elected co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla at its annual congress in Erfurt on Saturday, as the party polls near 30% and aims to win its first state government in Saxony-Anhalt in September. Around 20,000 anti-fascist demonstrators blocked roads and disrupted transport in an attempt to stop the gathering.
Congress re-elects co-leaders
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) held its annual congress in Erfurt, Thuringia, on 4 July 2026, re-electing co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla. Weidel, an economist with an international career, secured a stronger result than Chrupalla, a former painter from the east, and placed her more radical allies in key party posts. The dual leadership was extended without opposition, signalling internal stability despite the party's increasingly hardline profile.
We make policy for Germans; the others against our country's interests.
Polling surge and state election ambitions
The AfD is polling at nearly 30% nationally, putting it in first place ahead of the September regional election in Saxony-Anhalt. A victory there would mark the first time a far-right party has governed a German state since the war. Chrupalla told delegates the party was ready to move beyond radical opposition.
We will govern, in a region first and then all of Germany.
MEP Alexander Sell acknowledged the challenge of transitioning from protest to power, saying the party had no choice given the country's situation. The congress was framed as a demonstration of readiness, with the leadership insisting the AfD is "perfectly prepared" to run a Land.
Protests block Erfurt
An alliance of anti-fascist groups called "Resistance" mobilised around 20,000 people, according to police, who converged on Erfurt in large bus convoys. Protesters blocked main roads and disrupted public transport, aiming to prevent the congress from taking place. Despite the blockades, the event proceeded without incident inside the exhibition hall, which opened at 10 a.m. sharp under heavy police protection.
Federal cordon sanitaire remains
While the AfD's regional prospects are rising, its path to federal power is blocked by a solid cordon sanitaire. All other parties refuse to cooperate with the far right, leaving no coalition partner at the national level. The next federal election is due in three years, and the party's isolation means governing Germany as a whole remains a distant prospect for now.
