Wüst pushes federal-state group on AfD options, CSU skeptical

Hendrik Wüst, the premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, has proposed a federal-state working group to examine constitutional options for dealing with the AfD, though he stressed this should not automatically lead to a party ban. He warned against hasty decisions, stating a ban should only be a last resort. Wüst suggested the group include the domestic intelligence service, constitutional lawyers, and other experts to carefully assess how the state should handle a party pursuing anti-constitutional goals in some states. However, CSU leader Markus Söder reacted skeptically, arguing a ban is hardly enforceable, risks giving the AfD martyr status, and that the party must be countered politically. The AfD is currently monitored as a suspected case by federal intelligence, with some state branches classified as confirmed right-wing extremist. Only the Bundestag, Bundesrat, or federal government can request a ban, and the existing working group from June 2025 focuses on security checks, not a ban procedure.