Outside, hundreds of demonstrators staged sit-ins to block roadways to the venue, delaying the start of the congress by nearly an hour. He told cheering delegates that the AfD was Germany’s “only party for patriotic policies” and accused Merkel of “fundamental political failure” during her 12 years in office. The fractured political landscape has made it more difficult than ever for Merkel to cobble together a governing majority. If she is successful and averts a snap election, the AfD would become Germany’s largest opposition power, strongly boosting its profile. Meanwhile more centrist forces in the party are backing the party’s Berlin chief, Georg Pazderski, a former army colonel, as co-leader.

Source: Egypt Independent December 02, 2017 13:07 UTC