Germany Restricts AfD Intelligence Access After Saxony-Anhalt Victory

The German federal government, led by Friedrich Merz, is preparing to restrict the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's access to classified intelligence. The move follows the AfD's electoral victory in Saxony-Anhalt, where the party won 44 percent of the vote and is attempting to form a coalition government.

Federal officials fear the AfD could leak a 1,000-page secret war plan detailing responses to potential Russian attacks in Eastern Europe. Proposed restrictions include blocking access to intelligence regarding Russian subterfuge and far-right extremist investigations. The government also intends to alter interstate cooperation rules to ensure the AfD cannot paralyze cross-state policing.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated he would not share military intelligence with an AfD government, citing the party's affinity for Vladimir Putin. The German Federal Intelligence Agency has designated the AfD's national branch as suspected extremist and its Saxony-Anhalt chapter as confirmed extremist. These measures aim to reassure international allies in Poland and Scandinavia regarding the security of shared intelligence.

AfD spokesman Jork Herrmann criticized the restrictions, arguing that withholding intelligence based on unprovable allegations is undemocratic.