Overview

• Manuela Schwesig argues that the Basic Law requires a ban if strict legal criteria are satisfied.
• She stresses that the Verfassungsschutz’s extremist designation alone is insufficient without Federal Constitutional Court confirmation.
• The CDU and Chancellor Olaf Scholz oppose formal ban efforts, favoring continued policy debates to challenge the AfD.
• Schwesig draws on expertise from the NPD ban process to guide any prospective prohibition of the right-wing party.
• She warns the AfD will cast itself as a martyr and calls for sustained political engagement alongside legal action.