At the time of current issues during the Plenary Session of the German parliament, everyone’s eyes were on an agenda item with the following title: “Threat to democracy. Russia, China and the role of the Alternative for Germany (AfD)”. The issue came up for discussion in the Plenary at the request of the three coalition parties and without hesitation the speakers of all the other parties except the AfD who took the floor, and from the opposition, characterized the Alternative for Germany as a “threat” for the German state law and democratic institutions.

The occasion was the recent revelations about alleged connections with the secret services of China and Russia, states which many of the speakers described as “dictatorships” and “enemies” of European democracy. For its part, the far-right Alternative for Germany responded that it sees political expediency behind the accusations against it ahead of the European elections, with its MP Stefan Koetter asking the question “why now?”.

Responding in this regard, the Minister of the Interior, Nancy Feser, emphasized that the timing of suspect arrests depends on the investigations of the competent authorities that operate independently within the framework of the German rule of law. They choose when, as he underlined. The Minister of the Interior emphasized once again from the floor of the German parliament that Germany is being targeted by foreign secret services, especially China and Russia. In particular, in the case of Russia, he spoke of hybrid type attacks.

“Germany knows how to defend itself,” he said, stressing that the German government intends to further strengthen the staffing of the Federal Constitutional Office and other authorities investigating similar cases. “This is a real danger now”, as he said.

AfD support for Maximilian Kra

At the same time, the revelations continue about Jan J., a close associate of the MEP and current head of the European ballot of the Alternative for Germany, Maximilian Kra, who was arrested and is being held on serious charges of espionage for the Chinese State Intelligence Service.

It is alleged to have passed sensitive classified EU security data as well as information on Chinese dissidents living in Germany. According to new evidence coming to light, his action was allegedly disclosed to both the party and Maximilian Kra himself from 2023, who in a statement appeared cooperative, saying he would support the authorities’ investigations. However, according to journalistic revelations, Kra also allegedly lobbied in favor of China within his party, while he himself had traveled for about a week to China in 2023, having visited the technological giant Huawei and staying in luxury hotels.

In the meantime, in addition to the investigations of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office in Karlsruhe in the espionage case for China, Kra is also in the crosshairs of the Prosecutor’s Office in Dresden for another case related to Moscow. Specifically for shady payments he allegedly received from Russia as well as other connections with pro-Russian networks.

However, despite the accusations, for the time being Maximilian Kra remains the leading candidate of AfD for the European elections, according to the head of the party Tino Hroupala. He will not, however, take part in the start of the party’s election campaign which starts on Saturday from Donauesligen.

Polls: AfD second, rise for Wagenknecht

In the meantime, in Germany, the forecasts have already caught fire ahead of the June 9th Euro elections. Germany occupies 96 of the 720 seats in the European Parliament, while unlike the federal elections, the electoral threshold of 5%, which is required for a party to enter the German parliament, does not apply in the European elections.

According to a poll by the political platform PolitPro, republished by the newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau, the Christian Union comes first with 29.4%, the Alternative for Germany with 16.9%, the Social Democrats third with 16%. The Greens are next with 13.4%, the newly formed party “Alliance for Reason and Justice” of Sarah Wagenkecht, who left the Left. The Liberals are next with 4.1% and in the last places we find the Left with 3.2%. The Free Voters from Bavaria receive the same percentage while the Philozoiko Party receives over 2%.

The recent Politbarometer poll shows a similar picture without major deviations. And there, the Christian Democrats/Christian Socialists emerge first in voting intention with around 30%, while Alternative for Germany and Social Democrats are tied for second place with 16%. They are followed by the Greens with 15%, Sarah Wagenknecht’s party with 5%, while the Liberals and the Left reach 3%.

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