The German AfD has announced its decision to leave the European party alliance ID, as announced by deputy party leader Peter Boehringer during the party conference in Essen. This move was not unexpected, as delegates had previously given the federal executive board the power to make such decisions with a two-thirds majority.
The ID alliance, short for Identity and Democracy, consists of right-wing populist and nationalist parties. The AfD had joined the ID party just last year, but had been a part of the ID faction in the European Parliament before that. However, controversy arose when AfD candidate Maximilian Krah made contentious remarks about the National Socialist SS, leading to the AfD group being excluded from the parliamentary group shortly before the European elections. Even after the AfD’s decision to expel Krah from its group following the elections, tensions remained with the ID faction.
Despite these tensions, the AfD had maintained its membership in the ID party until now. The decision to leave the alliance signals a definitive break and a shift in alliances for the German party.