AfD Federal Party Convention in Erfurt Concludes – Weidel and Chrupalla Confirmed in Office, Tens of Thousands Protest

In his closing remarks, Chrupalla said: „Fokus liegt jetzt auf anstehenden Landtagswahlen“ and „Die AfD ist da, um zu siegen. Und wir werden siegen und wir werden regieren.“ He also warned that the party must not promise anything it cannot deliver: „Und wir müssen unsere Versprechen auch einhalten.“ Chrupalla named the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and Berlin in September as clear goals.

Personnel Decisions and New Federal Executive Board

Weidel took up the rhetoric of criticizing the government and said at the party convention: „Lasst uns das gesamte Land in Schwarz-Rot-Gold tauchen. Schwarz-Rot-Gold: Das leben wir! Das sind unsere Farben.“ She also declared: „Wir sind die stärkste Kraft. Wir sind eine 30-Prozent Volkspartei. Und wir werden regieren.“ Elsewhere it was stated: „Ziel sei es, die Regierung zu übernehmen.“ In a „heute journal“ interview, Weidel had also announced that the AfD was preparing for an early federal election. Weidel was the AfD's lead candidate in the 2025 federal election.

At the same time, a personnel upheaval is emerging on the newly elected federal executive board. Stefan Möller from Thuringia, considered one of the closest confidants of the Thuringian AfD state chairman Björn Höcke, was elected as a deputy federal chairman with 75 percent. Möller is to be responsible on the federal executive board for relations with the German security authorities. Höcke was convicted in two final judgments in 2025 to fines for multiple uses of an SA slogan.

Controversial Personnel Matters and Connections

Hannes Gnauck from Brandenburg, former head of the now-disbanded Junge Alternative, which the Office for the Protection of the Constitution had classified as „gesichert rechtsextrem," was elected as the new federal treasurer. Gnauck narrowly prevailed over the long-standing incumbent Carsten Hütter from Saxony in the third ballot. Six of the 14 members of the new federal executive board come, according to information from among the delegates, from state associations classified as confirmed right-wing extremist by the respective state offices for the protection of the constitution.

Further elections concerned Katrin Ebner-Steiner from Bavaria, who surprisingly entered as a candidate and displaced previous board member Peter Boehringer. She was elected as the new vice-chairwoman with around 56 percent, without opposing candidates. In her application speech, she said they wanted to „aus der Staatskanzlei jagen" Bavaria's Minister-President Markus Söder (CSU). Sven Tritschler from North Rhine-Westphalia prevailed in the competition for the third vice-chair post with 50.7 percent over Kay Gottschalk. In his application speech, Tritschler had mentioned that he had studied law but had not completed a degree.

A motion by Björn Höcke, who wanted to put the so-called incompatibility list – which has so far prevented former members of extremist organizations such as the Identitarian Movement or the NPD from joining the AfD – up for discussion, was ultimately not on the agenda. Weidel instead proposed that the new party executive board should revise the list: „Der Bundesvorstand hätte das schon längst machen müssen." A commission is to address the question in the coming year.

Outside Hall 1 of the exhibition center, according to police, around 31,000 people took part in demonstrations, rallies, and sit-in blockades on Saturday and Sunday. The organizers themselves spoke of a total of around 50,000 participants. The protests had been called by the left-wing alliance „Widersetzen" as well as the civil society alliance „Zusammenstehen," which according to its own information was supported by trade unions, churches, associations, and other organizations. The „Widersetzen" alliance stated that compared to around 7,000 supporters at the 2024 federal party convention in Essen, the number had continued to rise. A spokesperson said: „Wir werden immer mehr."

Protests in the City

Police spoke of a „überwiegend friedlichen Verlauf" of the diverse protests. At times, according to their information, several thousand people took part in a sit-in blockade on the A71 motorway as well as on access roads to Erfurt. The Binderslebener Landstraße between the A71 Erfurt-Bindersleben junction and the city was reopened for two-way traffic on Sunday. The bicycle demonstration for a cosmopolitan Erfurt, called for by the Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club (ADFC), also started from the main train station on Sunday morning.

Police Operation and Criticism

Nevertheless, confrontations occurred at several points. A police spokesperson told the German Press Agency: „Beim Versuch von Demonstrierenden, eine Absperrung zu durchbrechen und Beamte anzugreifen, hätten diese mit körperlicher Gewalt reagieren müssen." In the attempt to break through a barrier in the Frienstedt district and attack police officers, there is, according to police, suspicion of breaching the peace. Pepper spray and batons were used, according to police, on two blocked streets as well as in the city center. By Sunday midday, a total of 65 crimes and 13 administrative offenses had been recorded, including property damage from graffiti, bodily harm, and violations of the law on assemblies.

In total, eleven police officers were slightly injured. Three representatives of the portal „Apollo News" were physically attacked on Saturday according to information from Police President Thomas Quittenbaum; the police had provided them with assistance. Four press representatives were injured according to police information; a mobile phone was stolen from one journalist. Several drones that had been flown despite a prohibited zone were seized. The federal police registered individual crimes and administrative offenses as well as insults, anti-constitutional actions, and violations of the assembly, weapons, and explosives laws.

Representatives of a civil rights organization criticized the police operation as excessive and spoke of a „Überaufgebot an Einsatzmitteln." The „Widersetzen" alliance also accused the police of disproportionate violence, citing as an example painful restraints at Gothaer Platz; lawyers were reportedly to review charges of bodily harm. „Widersetzen" accused Thuringia's Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD) of exaggerating dangers and thereby currying favor with the AfD. Police President Quittenbaum rejected this, saying it was about enforcing fundamental rights, not about preferential treatment.

Reactions from Politics and Civic Society

Interior Minister Maier (SPD) stated that the police had „generalsstabsmäßig über Wochen auf den Großeinsatz vorbereitet, um sowohl der AfD als auch den Demonstranten das Grundrecht auf Versammlungsfreiheit zu ermöglichen". Thuringia's Minister-President Mario Voigt (CDU) thanked all emergency and rescue services and said: „Die Demokratie lebe davon, dass die Versammlungsfreiheit für alle gilt" and „zugleich davon, dass Bürgerinnen und Bürger friedlich für ihre Überzeugungen eintreten". Erfurt had „deutlich gemacht, wofür unser Land steht: für Freiheit, Weltoffenheit und ein respektvolles Miteinander".

Erfurt's Lord Mayor Andreas Horn (CDU) also drew a positive balance and said: „Erfurt hat Zeichen für lebendige Demokratie gesetzt" and with the peaceful course of the protests, the city had „ein Zeichen für eine lebendige Demokratie gegeben". Police President Quittenbaum emphasized on Sunday that the operational concept had worked, the convention had proceeded undisturbed, freedom of assembly had been guaranteed, and the third objective – a colorful city life with concerts – had also been achieved. On the Domplatz on Saturday, the Erfurt musician Clueso gave a concert before 15,000 attendees.

Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Legal Proceedings

Parallel to the convention, the judiciary is dealing with the question of the AfD's classification by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution had classified the party in May 2025 as „gesichert rechtse