Germany Considers Restricting Secret Information to Right-Wing Regional Governments

On Sunday, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that the federal government is evaluating the possibility of withholding information from ministers in regional administrations if their local authorities are controlled by the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Opinion polls indicate that the AfD could secure an absolute majority in the Saxony-Anhalt regional elections scheduled for September, which would enable the party to form a local government for the first time.

Under Germany's federal system, regional governments hold extensive powers in various areas, including police and intelligence activities.

Responding to a question from the newspaper Bild about whether a local government led by the AfD would impact military bases in that region, Pistorius said, "We are closely examining who we can grant access to classified information."

He added, "We are obligated to do so because it concerns the security of our country."

Pistorius, affiliated with the center-left Social Democratic Party, explained that he would not feel comfortable providing secret information to a minister from the AfD in a regional government.

He continued, "It is enough to listen to the public statements of many representatives of the Alternative for Germany party. Their closeness to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin cannot be ignored."

The AfD's close ties with Moscow have been a subject of ongoing criticism.

In September, elections will also be held in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, another stronghold of the AfD in eastern Germany.

The party is also leading in opinion polls in this region, although the chances of achieving an absolute majority there are lower.

Since the AfD came in second in last year's general elections, it has maintained steady progress in national opinion polls, while the center-right alliance of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU), led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, has slipped to second place.

A national poll published on Sunday showed the AfD ahead by eight points over this alliance, with the CDU receiving 29 percent and the CSU 21 percent.