In the wake of the debate about a possible ban on the AfD, the traffic light is looking for other ways to sanction the party. It would be conceivable, for example, to be excluded from party financing. But this measure is no easier than a ban.
In the debate about how to deal with the AfD, the traffic light coalition is discussing sanctioning the party below the threshold of a party ban.
The procedure for exclusion from party financing anchored in the Basic Law is “an important element of the defensive state to significantly reduce state funding for anti-constitutional parties,” said the parliamentary managing director of the SPD parliamentary group, Johannes Fechner, to the “Handelsblatt”.
The Greens also see cutting state funds as a possible option, but point out that this measure also requires “very prerequisites”. “Just as with a party ban, the constitutional bodies are required to carefully weigh legal steps, taking into account the assessment of the security authorities,” said parliamentary group leader Irene Mihalic to the newspaper.
Skepticism in the Union
In the Union, party financing in the fight against the AfD is viewed with skepticism. The withdrawal of state resources requires the party to be classified as unconstitutional, said the first parliamentary managing director of the Union faction, Thorsten Frei (CDU), to the “Handelsblatt”.
This would mean that the Federal Constitutional Court would have the same review effort as in a ban procedure. “The traffic light should therefore carefully consider whether its mind games are playing into the hands of the AfD and contributing to further mobilization of extremists.” Nothing would be gained if the dangerous right-wing populists portrayed themselves as victims.
Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), however, considers the removal of funding for the AfD from state party funding to be fundamentally feasible. With a view to the Federal Constitutional Court’s expected decision on the NPD, the CSU leader told the “Handelsblatt”: “That would also be a blueprint for the AfD.”
Judgment of Federal Constitutional Court expected
The legislature created the possibility of a funding freeze for parties after the second NPD ban proceedings before the Federal Constitutional Court failed in 2017. In 2019, the Bundestag, Bundesrat and federal government jointly submitted a proposal to exclude the NPD from state funding. The court wants to announce its verdict this Tuesday. “We will then know more about the specific hurdles of such a procedure,” said Fechner. With regard to the AfD, he added that this could also affect other parties.