Overview

• Jens Spahn, CDU's deputy parliamentary leader, has proposed treating the AfD like other opposition parties in procedural matters, sparking internal and cross-party divisions.
• Spahn clarified that his aim is to uphold parliamentary rules and avoid placing the AfD in a victim role, not to normalize its politics.
• Regional CDU leaders Mario Voigt and Daniel Peters advocate granting the AfD committee roles under parliamentary rules, citing voter representation and regional realities in Eastern Germany.
• The SPD, Greens, Linke, and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser strongly oppose the proposal, arguing that the AfD poses a unique threat to democratic values.
• The debate remains unresolved, with no consensus or rule changes enacted, highlighting deep fractures within Germany's political landscape over how to engage with the AfD.