Ex-AfD leader Meuthen admits mistakes, says party dominated by nationalist wing

Jörg Meuthen, former co-chair of the German far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), has offered a harsh self-critique of his time at the party's helm. Speaking on the podcast "Inside AfD" by POLITICO and WELT, he acknowledged that he underestimated the radical wing around Björn Höcke, dismissing it as harmless folklore early on.

Meuthen stated that the current AfD is dominated by a völkisch-nationalist course and regretted entering into tactical alliances with extremists instead of pursuing a joint line with Frauke Petry. He believes that a common path with Petry could have steered the party in a completely different direction.

The former leader attributed the party's current poll highs solely to the glaring weakness of the established mainstream parties. He warned that if the AfD were to take over government in Saxony-Anhalt, it would quickly expose its lack of qualified personnel to run ministries, as the party simply lacks the necessary experts.

The podcast feature is part of the summer special of "Inside AfD," which regularly examines the party's internal dynamics. Despite increasing radicalization and monitoring by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the AfD continues to grow.