Azernews.Az

Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is facing renewed attention over its approach to the country’s Nazi past after an investigation reported that party co-leader Alice Weidel’s grandfather held a senior military judicial position under the Nazi regime.

An investigation by German newspaper WELT, cited by POLITICO and based on German and Polish archival records, found that Hans Weidel served as a military judge in occupied Warsaw before later being appointed Chief Staff Judge through Adolf Hitler’s headquarters.

According to the investigation, Hans Weidel joined the Nazi Party in 1932 and had previously worked as a legal adviser in the Waffen-SS.

A spokesperson for Alice Weidel said she was unaware of her grandfather’s history during the Nazi period. The spokesperson also said Weidel had had limited contact with him because of tensions within the family.

The investigation into Weidel’s family history does not establish any connection between her political views and those of her grandfather, but it has added to wider scrutiny of the AfD as the party continues to challenge Germany’s established political consensus on national identity and historical memory.

Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has scored a historic victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, securing 44.5% of the vote in Sunday’s state election, according to exit polls.

The result places the AfD far ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which received 18.5%, according to figures reported by public broadcaster ARD and cited by Reuters.

The result represents a major breakthrough for the AfD and puts the party on the brink of potentially forming its first state government in post-war Germany. However, it remained unclear whether the party had secured enough seats to govern alone.