AfD plans to turn Germany into authoritarian state, vice-chancellor warns

Robert Habeck tacitly backs calls to ban far-right party after it participated in meeting to discuss mass deportations

The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party is planning to transform Germany into an authoritarian state similar to Russia, the country’s vice-chancellor and economics minister, has warned, tacitly backing calls to ban the party.

Speaking a week after it emerged that party members had participated in a meeting to discuss mass deportations, allegedly including German citizens, Robert Habeck said the danger the party posed to democracy had been gravely underestimated.