Outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called today for caution regarding a possible ban on the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, despite it being officially classified as a "right-wing extremist" group. This was reported by the DPA agency, BTA reports.
"This is something that should not be rushed", said Scholz, who is a representative of the German Social Democratic Party. He stressed that the Constitutional Court has rejected all recent attempts to outlaw parties. "I am against a hasty decision and therefore I will not say that this is something we should do," he added.
The chancellor acknowledged that Germany's domestic intelligence service had carried out a thorough investigation before concluding that the AfD was an extremist organisation. "Many pages now need to be read by many people," he said, referring to the detailed findings in the intelligence report.
Sholz clarified that the intelligence service's designation of the party as extremist did not mean an automatic ban. Such a decision can only be made by the Constitutional Court - and then at the request of one of the chambers of the German parliament or the entire Bundestag.
When asked whether the AfD's growing popularity was casting a shadow over his government, the chancellor replied: "It depresses me as a citizen, as chancellor, as a member of the German Bundestag."
Olaf Scholz, whose term as chancellor is ending, will be replaced on Tuesday by the leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union, Friedrich Merz.