NPR

How The Pandemic Dented The Popularity Of Germany's Far-Right AfD Party

Many expected the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, to continue growing stronger, but the coronavirus pandemic has exposed the far-right party's deep internal divisions.
Jörg Meuthen, co-federal leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party, speaks at the party congress Nov. 28, in Kalkar, Germany. Meuthen criticized the party's right wing in his speech. The AfD held the two-day congress in person, as total confirmed coronavirus infections passed the 1 million mark.

Like many other far-right political parties, Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) was founded on outrage. It began as a response to the anger and fear some Germans felt when their stable and secure currency, the Deutsche Mark, was subsumed by the euro. It grew in popularity as it shifted its attention to immigration, and peaked when it attacked German Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to allow a record number of asylum seekers into Germany.

In 2017, the AfD won 94

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