Delegates at the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party congress on Sunday rejected a proposal to impose stricter rules on foreign travel and interviews with foreign media for politicians from the far-right party.
The proposal for stricter rules, put forward by several MEPs, comes after extensive negative media coverage surrounding trips to Russia and appearances in Russian state media by AfD politicians who have expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Florian Köhler, an AfD member of the Bavarian state parliament and a supporter of the motion, criticized the “visits to regional dictators or autocrats” and said the party should focus more on the German homeland to avoid being seen by voters as surrogate agents of foreign states.
The rules would require AfD MPs to consult with the party leadership before giving interviews to foreign media, meeting foreign leaders abroad or making trips “with a political connection.”
The motion also referred to Maximilian Krah, the AfD’s scandal-plagued top candidate in the recent European Parliament elections.
The AfD was expelled from the right-wing Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament after Krah made highly controversial comments in an interview with an Italian newspaper defending members of the SS paramilitaries.
