Germany’s AfD Party Would Hold EU Membership Vote If Elected, Leader Says

Assertion coincides with ongoing protests in several cities against what critics call country’s ‘far right.’

German riot police move in formation in front of the Reichstag where a demonstration organized by the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party is taking place in Berlin on Oct. 8, 2022. Omer Messinger/Getty Images

Germany’s Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party will hold a referendum on the nation’s European Union membership if it comes to power, according to party leader Alice Weidel.

In a Jan. 22 interview with the Financial Times, Ms. Weidel hailed the UK’s departure from the EU four years ago as a “model for Germany.” In a move commonly known as “Brexit,” the UK officially left the EU in 2020 based on the outcome of a 2016 referendum.