The Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament has expelled the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party after a controversy involving its European Parliament election list leader Maximilian Krah.
German media reported on May 23 that the decision will have immediate effect, with five of the group’s constituent parties – France’s National Rally, Belgium’s Vlaams Belang, Italy’s Lega, Czechia’s Freedom and Direct Democracy and the Danish People’s Party – recorded as all having supported the move.
Only the Austrian FPÖ and the Estonian Conservative People’s Party are said to have voted to keep the AfD in the ID group.
The decision came after a last-ditch attempt by the party to remain in the ID, with delegation leader Christine Anderson requesting a vote on the exclusion of just Krah after his controversial comments to an Italian newspaper.
During an interview with La Repubblica on May 18, Krah suggested that not all members of the Nazi SS should be considered inherently evil, but morally judged on account of their individual actions.
Anderson has since challenged the result of the vote, asserting that the Czech Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFDD) party’s response to the proposal was not sufficiently clear.
The EFDD’s delegation leader Ivan David initially only said that the party “support Marine Le Pen’s opinion” in response to the motion, only clarifying that it was in favour of the proposal after it passed.
This, Anderson argued, was “not a valid answer”.
“The vote is closed, and therefore any clarification after the end of the vote is not permitted,” she reportedly said. If the Czech vote were invalid, then the motion would not have met the five-party threshold needed to pass.
It is unclear if anyone within the group is considering Anderson’s appeal.
France’s right-wing Rassemblement National has said it no longer wants to serve in an EU parliamentary group with the Alternative für Deutschland, sparking the resignation of the German party's lead election candidate from its executive board. https://t.co/GVv6nFZwQA
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) May 22, 2024
