Germany is quietly drawing up a plan to keep a rising far-right party away from some of its most sensitive secrets. Berlin is preparing to block Alternative for Germany (AfD) from accessing a classified 1,000-page military blueprint for responding to a potential Russian attack, along with other Russia- and extremist-related intelligence, if the party takes power in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt this fall, reports the New York Times. The AfD just won 44% of the vote in the state and is trying to form a government there. The group is labeled "suspected extremist" nationwide by federal intelligence, with the Saxony-Anhalt chapter labeled "confirmed extremist." It calls the new government strategy undemocratic.
But Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government and security officials, citing the AfD's pro-Kremlin leanings and ties to Moscow, say they fear state-level party officials could pass information to Russia or expose undercover agents tracking far-right networks. The Kremlin, for its part, says it's glad the AfD wants to communicate with Russia, unlike the more confrontational Merz, per Reuters. Measures under discussion include cutting Saxony-Anhalt off from some Russia-related intelligence, limiting its say over cross-state policing, and blocking access to files on the AfD itself—steps that could trigger a court fight and test how far Germany will go to shield its postwar democratic system from an elected extremist party, per the Times. Al Jazeera has more on why we should care about the AfD's ascent in Germany.
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