Far-right Alternative for Germany party elects leaders as protesters and police clash

ERFURT, Germany (AP) — Thousands of protesters aimed to disrupt the national convention of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party on Saturday, with some clashing with police in riot gear outside the meeting.

Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is meeting in the eastern city of Erfurt to elect its leaders, which German parties do every two years. The party seeks to show unity while extending the terms of leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, who have run the party together for four years.

The demonstrations outside the convention reflect how AfD has divided Germany even as it is the nation's biggest opposition party nationally.

The weekend convention has drawn additional controversy by coinciding with the 100-year anniversary of a Nazi Party meeting held nearby that consolidated Adolf Hitler’s power over the fascist movement. Historians and political opponents say the timing carries powerful symbolism, an accusation the AfD rejects.

Weidel said recently that “2026 is a year of destiny for AfD.” Mainstream parties say they won’t work with it, a stance often known as a “firewall.”

But AfD is capitalizing on the unpopularity of a government that is trying to reform the sluggish economy. The party has become adept at harnessing discontent with issues well beyond its signature theme of curbing migration, which powered its rise in the mid-2010s.

AfD hopes to win 40% or more of the vote in a Sept. 6 state election in the eastern region of Saxony-Anhalt. That could put the party on course for an absolute majority or in a position where it might try to attract defectors from other parties, paving the way for its first state governor.