The Japan Times - Alice Weidel: AfD Chancellor Candidate 2025

At the party conference in Riesa (Saxony), AfD politician Alice Weidel (45) was nominated by her party as the chancellor candidate for the federal election on 23 February 2025 and enjoys great popularity among some of the voters in the Federal Republic of Germany. Within the party, she represents a conservative and economically liberal wing that has gained additional influence in recent months as the AfD's poll numbers have risen.

Current surveys show that the AfD (Alternative for Germany) has been able to significantly expand its presence in some German states and can continue to do so. As of 11 January 2025, the party stands at 22 per cent – which would leave the CDU/CSU with only an eight per cent lead. In this, the chancellor candidate Alice Weidel benefits from her rhetorical strength and her clear positioning on migration, the economy and, in particular, EU policy. However, the question remains whether Weidel has a realistic chance of becoming chancellor.

To become Chancellor, Weidel and the AfD would need either an absolute majority in the Bundestag or coalition partners. So far, the other parties in Germany categorically rule out working with the AfD. However, should the political system shift and the AfD continue to gain influence in the future, Weidel, as the leading candidate, could well find herself in a position to form a government – similar to the one currently held by the FPÖ (Freedom Party of Austria) in Austria with Herbert Kickl.

The coming months and years will show whether Weidel's popularity can grow beyond certain voter groups and whether she will remain a long-term figurehead within the AfD. Meanwhile, the newly-elected chancellor candidate Alice Weidel attacked the CDU in her first speech and proclaimed a duel between the AfD and the CDU in the federal election. Weidel referred to a recent INSA poll: the CDU is at 30 per cent, while the AfD is climbing to 22 per cent – its highest level in a year. Only eight points now separate the parties.