In some respects, Alice Weidel’s selection as the far-right AfD’s candidate for chancellor ahead of the February elections is unexpected given that she was born in West Germany, is openly gay, and has a non-German spouse.
However, by attacking some of the AfD’s most extreme stances and befriending US tech billionaire Elon Musk, the 45-year-old who claims Margaret Thatcher is her political hero has contributed to the party’s recent surge.
At a cheerful party conference this weekend, Weidel, who resides in Switzerland and has two sons with her Sri Lankan boyfriend, was formally named the AfD’s candidate for chancellor.
The AfD has long been polling in second place behind the conservatives but one survey on Saturday showed it had increased its vote share to 22 percent — a score that would be its highest ever result at the national level.
Because of its Nazi past, the AfD has little prospect of joining Germany’s next administration because collaborating with the far right is still strictly forbidden in German politics.
However, since her initial nomination as the party’s choice for chancellor in December, Weidel has been able to leave a significant impression on the election campaign.Musk, the richest man in the world and a major ally of Donald Trump, hosted Weidel for a comprehensive livestream on his social media platform X last week.
Additionally, Musk helped the AfD’s congress livestream reach a global audience by sharing it on his own X account.
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