(23 Apr 2017) Germany’s nationalist party Alternative for Germany elected two new top candidates for the September general election on Sunday, after the party’s best-known politician, Frauke Petry, said she would no longer be available.
Members of the far-right party, known by its acronym AfD, elected Alexander Gauland and Alice Weidel at their weekend party convention in Cologne.
Divisions erupted among the different factions of the German nationalists as delegates from the AfD rejected an appeal Saturday by Petry to seek a more pragmatic political path instead of turning into a "fundamental opposition" party.
Gauland, 76, is one of the party’s most prominent members and considered one of Petry’s main rivals.
He belongs to the more far-right section of the party.
Weidel, 38, is a consultant from southwestern Germany who has not stood in the spotlight of the four-year-old party so far.
The delegates also voted for an election manifesto that lashes out against immigration and Muslims.
The party reiterated its calls for leaving the European Union’s euro currency.
The conference in Cologne was overshadowed by massive protests on Saturday, when tens of thousands rallied against the populist party and blocked access to the hotel where the convention took place.
On Sunday, the city remained relatively calm and police reported only a few small demonstrations.
German political parties choose lead candidates for elections who generally dominate their campaigns and, in the case of bigger parties, compete to become chancellor. Petry's move has left AfD without such a figurehead.
The country holds general elections on September 24.
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