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Germany's Faeser says far-right AfD win may hurt economy

June 27, 2023

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser made the comments after the anti-immigrant AfD took over local government in a district of Thuringia. Berlin has recently passed legislation to attract skilled workers from outside the EU.

https://p.dw.com/p/4T67A
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser speaks in Potsdam
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has warned against the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)Image: Michael Bahlo/dpa/picture alliance

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser warned Tuesday that an increase in support for the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) could have a negative impact on the German economy.

She made the comments after the anti-immigration AfD took control of the local government of the Sonneberg district in the central state of Thuringia. This is the first time the party has won a district council election.

Thuringia's Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies the state branch of the AfD as a "confirmed" right-wing extremist organization. The label means authorities can closely monitor the party.

The German Bundestag recently passed legislation aimed to encourage more people from outside of the European Union to move to Germany for work in a bid to fill labor shortages. AfD lawmaker Norbert Kleinwächter criticized the law, saying that it would turn Germany into a "junk country."

What did Faeser say?

Faeser, who belongs to Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD), told the Funke Mediengruppe conglomerate that the AfD offers no solutions to the challenges Germany is facing.

"On the contrary: The AfD is fueling a climate that is damaging Germany's position," she said.

Faeser said that this climate could scare away qualified foreign workers, which "our economy urgently needs."

She said that this would lead to fewer opportunities in German regions that require economic stimulus and are dependent on qualified workers.

Faeser urged lawmakers not to pander to or adopt the AfD's political positions and what she called the party's "inhuman and anti-democratic language."

The minister argued that the supporters of democracy should work to find the best solutions to the issues facing the country without "falling into the hateful language of the populists."

sdi/wd (AFP, Reuters)

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