The AFD’s Vision for Germany: An Interview with Alice Weidel

Alice Weidel, co-leader of the Alternative for Germany (AFD), sat down with The Economist’s editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes in Berlin to explain what her party would do if it came to power. The AFD is currently leading national polls, has won two recent state elections, and is the largest opposition party in the Bundestag. Weidel, a self-described libertarian conservative, former banker, and economist, presented her diagnosis of Germany’s problems and her party’s proposed solutions across the economy, energy, Europe, Ukraine, and migration.

Germany’s Economic Crisis: “Restructure and Rebuild the Entire Car”

Weidel argued that Germany is in a deep, multifaceted crisis requiring a complete overhaul. She blamed the Energiewende—Germany’s energy transition policy—for destroying the country’s energy infrastructure, including the shutdown of 19 nuclear power plants. “Germany has the stupidest energy policy worldwide,” she said, pointing to the Dunkelflaute (periods when wind and solar produce little power) that forces Germany to import expensive energy from neighbors. This has made German energy costs “the highest in the world,” destroying competitiveness and driving record bankruptcy rates as companies either go under or move abroad.