The leader of Germany’s populist right-wing AfD party has praised Britain as “dead right” for its decision to leave the EU, and said her country should hold its own referendum.
Alice Weidel, leader of the Alternative for Germany, has said she will push for a referendum on EU membership if her party comes to power.
Far from a fringe opinion, the AfD has been polling in second place since July last year, and is just eight points behind Angela Merkel’s former party the CDU.
Ms Weidel said the vote will be held if an AfD government fails to secure reforms to take back control from the European Commission.
The cause bears striking similarities to Britain’s own referendum, when David Cameron went to Brussels demanding essential reforms, but failed to get anything meaningful.
Speaking to the Financial Times, the right winger warned: “If a reform isn’t possible, if we fail to rebuild the sovereignty of the EU member states, we should let the people decide, just as Britain did”.
“And we could have a referendum on ‘Dexit’ – a German exit from the EU.” She added: “It is a model for Germany, that one can make a sovereign decision like that”.
While the announcement will provide a boost for Eurosceptics across the continent, the road to Germany leaving the EU would prove longer than most other member states.
With 90 percent of people in favour of remaining, and only 45 percent of AfD members backing ‘Exit’, it would be an uphill struggle.
However the party’s startling rise in Germany does indicate widespread dissatisfaction with the status quo, and the ruling left-wing coalition.
The AfD leads the polls in all five East German states ahead of this September’s regional elections, and its 22 point supports is ahead of all three parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government.
Ms Weidel has said the AfD will struggle to take power before 2029, however said a future role in government is “inevitable”.
“The CDU won’t be able to maintain its firewall in the long term.”
“We can form a clear Right-wing majority. And the CDU can’t refuse to accept that in the long term, especially in the eastern states.”
