Pistorius warns against sharing classified information with AfD ministers, citing party's Russia ties

Pistorius's security warning

Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) has raised the possibility of excluding AfD ministers from access to classified information, citing the party's ties to Russia. In an interview with Bild am Sonntag, he said the proximity to President Putin was impossible to overlook and that suspicions of Russian funding also persisted.

The proximity to Putin is impossible to overlook. The suspicion that there is money from Russia is also in the room.

Pistorius stressed that his ministry was already examining who could be granted access to secret material, because national security was at stake. He said it was obvious that sensitive information must not fall into the wrong hands.

Polling surge

A new Insa poll for Bild am Sonntag shows the AfD at 29 percent, unchanged from the previous week, while the CDU/CSU slipped one point to 21 percent. The SPD and Greens both stand at 13 percent, the Left at 10 percent, and the BSW and FDP each at 4 percent. Other parties together reach 6 percent.

The eight-point gap is the widest lead for the AfD in this weekly survey. The party also leads in polls ahead of state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Saxony-Anhalt election fears

Pistorius said the prospect of an absolute AfD majority in Saxony-Anhalt on 6 September caused him the greatest concern as a democrat. He called it a very, very bad sign and urged more resolute countermeasures.

The AfD leaves no doubt about what it intends to do with our democracy. That would therefore be a very, very bad sign. We must prepare to deal with it even more consistently and to counter it.

Asked what he would tell a soldier who supports the AfD, the minister said he would ask them to think carefully in the interest of democracy, but that the decision was ultimately theirs.

Party congress in Erfurt

The AfD is holding its federal party congress in Erfurt this weekend, accompanied by protests from tens of thousands of demonstrators. On Saturday, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla were confirmed as party leaders for another two years. Several state branches of the party are classified as confirmed right-wing extremist by the domestic intelligence agency.