2 months ago
27
Maximilian Krah used to be the AfD’s lead candidate for the European elections on June 9th. He initially was elected a year ago at an AfD party conference in Magdeburg. There, he gave “Die Welt” an interview in which he said, “There is a German party that stands for prosperity, for family, for people, and for peace. And that is the AfD.” It turned out that this statement is mostly false.
Every five years, citizens of the European Union elect a new EU Parliament. This year, the European elections were held on June 9th. Germany’s leading candidates included Ursula von der Leyen for the CDU, Terry Reintke for Die Grünen, and Maximilian Krah for the AfD. Meanwhile, there have been difficulties within the party regarding Maximilian Krah. Due to trivializing remarks about the SS in an interview with the Italian newspaper “La Repubblica” and allegations of espionage, the AfD banned him from making appearances. He remained the top candidate for the right-wing populist party because the deadline for changing candidates had passed, but was excluded from the AfD delegation in the EU Parliament after the election.
Since Krah used to be the lead candidate, it is important to scrutinize his statements. Therefore, we are examining Krah’s statement from last summer: “There is a German party that stands for prosperity, for family, for people, and for peace. And that is the AfD.”
The terms used by Krah are of particular interest to AfD voters. They worry about their financial situation, jobs, and their families. With statements like Krah’s, the AfD directly addresses the concerns of its voters and seeks to resolve them, thereby creating loyalty and trust.
According to Krah, the AfD stands for prosperity, which is inseparable from a country’s good economic situation. According to the AfD program, the party wants to simplify and reduce taxes. Among other things, they want to lower corporate taxes and abolish the solidarity surcharge. Although the AfD aims to provide financial relief to citizens by lowering these taxes, only a portion of society benefits, namely the wealthy. Furthermore, the AfD believes that the EU is undemocratic and wants to form a new European economic and interest community and abolish the existing EU Parliament. The party also seeks to amend the Schengen Agreement. According to the federal government, these initiatives would hinder Germany’s access to other markets, impose tariffs, and ultimately lead to higher prices. Economically, this is not a profitable plan. Additionally, the AfD wants to introduce its own currency and abandon the euro. According to the federal government, Germany would suffer if each country had its own currency. As an export-oriented country, Germany’s economy would have to contend with exchange rate fluctuations and high transaction costs, ultimately leading to higher prices for consumers. This proposal is also not beneficial for the German economy.
Krah also claims that the AfD stands for family. The party’s basic program includes many family-friendly points. They propose family splitting and higher child allowances. They also want child-related expenses to be fully tax-deductible. Furthermore, they want to introduce care allowances for parents or grandparents during the first three years of a child’s life. The return to work after parental leave should be simplified by providing wage subsidies to employers based on the number of children. While these plans are very family-friendly, they only support traditional German families, meaning a German mother, a German father, and a German child. According to the AfD’s vision, the mother should not work. Their plans exclude not only complete queer families but also children with disabilities. The AfD opposes comprehensive schools, and Höcke even calls inclusion a “burden.” Therefore, while the AfD financially supports families and aims to relieve them, they have a specific and conservative view of what these families should be, excluding parts of society through their concepts and limits.
In the mentioned quote, Krah also stated that the AfD stands for the people. This is evident in their support for the German dominant culture and the strengthening of nonprofit housing cooperatives and housing companies. However, they do not want to limit rent increases, oppose a rent cap, and work against the right to adequate housing. The AfD’s rejection of multiculturalism as a threat to social peace further shows that their positive impact is limited to a specific part of society. They aim to ban full veiling in public and thus discriminate against people who do not live according to the German dominant culture. There are no clear plans demonstrating how the AfD specifically supports the people or society.
Finally, Krah claims that the AfD stands for peace. The party’s basic program states that they aim to withdraw from the EU, which promotes peace, security, and the well-being of its citizens. A significant fact against Krah’s statement is the close cooperation and support between the AfD and Russia. Especially during Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, the AfD sided with Russia. Specifically, Krah maintained his Russian contacts and gave an interview to the pro-Russian platform “Voice of Europe.” Krah and the AfD actively work against Germany’s security and support an aggressive war.
Conclusion
It is evident that the AfD has plans and initiatives that align with Krah’s statement: The AfD aims to strengthen prosperity and support wealthy individuals. It supports families but only those it considers appropriate. Although Krah’s statement contains some truth, it misses the mark. His party’s plans only benefit a portion of German society, not the entire country. Therefore, it cannot be said that the AfD fully stands for prosperity, family, people, and peace as Krah claimed in the interview with “Die Welt”.
RESEARCH | ARTICLE | Jennifer Ketterer, Hochschule der Medien, Stuttgart (Germany)
Leave your comments, thoughts and suggestions in the box below. Take note: your response is moderated.
