Overview

• The Constitutional Court of Rhineland-Palatinate ruled that Malu Dreyer's statements against the AfD, made during her tenure as Minister-President, were lawful as they aimed to safeguard the democratic constitutional order.
• The court acknowledged that Dreyer's remarks breached the principle of governmental neutrality but justified them due to the imperative to protect democracy from perceived threats.
• The ruling establishes new guidelines allowing state authorities to warn against political parties identified as constitutional threats in official intelligence reports.
• The AfD criticized the decision, claiming it deviates from Federal Constitutional Court precedent and could lead to misuse of government power against political opponents.
• This landmark decision reinforces Germany's commitment to a 'defensive democracy,' prioritizing constitutional principles over strict neutrality in addressing parties deemed a danger to democratic values.