German finance minister calls for legal review of potential AfD ban

German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil has called for a legal assessment of whether proceedings should be launched to ban the opposition right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD), describing such a move as a "democratic duty" if the legal criteria are met.

Writing in the newspaper Die Zeit, Klingbeil said the issue should be examined by the courts to determine whether there are sufficient legal grounds to initiate ban proceedings before Germany's Federal Constitutional Court.

"It is now necessary to seriously examine whether the conditions exist to initiate ban proceedings before the Federal Constitutional Court," he wrote.

The minister's comments come as the AfD continues to enjoy strong public support ahead of upcoming regional elections in Germany. They also follow an open letter signed by more than 1,000 German lawyers urging the authorities to consider seeking a ban on the party.

Klingbeil said that if the legal requirements are confirmed, pursuing a ban would no longer be merely an option but a "democratic duty to protect Germany."

By Aghakazim Guliyev