At a party convention in Grimmen, the AfD in Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern unveiled its program for the upcoming state election on Saturday. The document, subtitled “Ready for the Blue Turn” (PDF), was adopted unanimously by the 237 delegates.
In the more than 90 pages long electoral program, queer topics appear repeatedly. A dedicated paragraph is headed with the sentence “The two genders are a biological fact.” In it, the AfD claims that children and adolescents are “increasingly confronted with gender ideology through school, media, and social surroundings.” The demand: “All state funding of gender ideology and early sexualization in day cares and schools must be halted. Femininity and masculinity, with their respective potentials, are positives.” The party aims to abolish the Self-Determination Act at the Federal Council. Puberty blockers should be banned.
The AfD does not want family diversity in schools
The AfD Mecklenburg-Vorpommern seeks to limit the visibility of queer people in schools: “We reject exposing ten-year-olds to sexual topics, to ‘family diversity’ or to constantly shifting gender role images that often contradict parental views,” the program states. “We accept the different forms of living together, but we insist that teaching content mostly reflect the lived reality of the majority and convey a life-affirming, responsible family image.”
Moreover, the far-right party wants public expressions of solidarity with the queer community to be barred. “Hanging non-sovereign flags such as rainbow flags in front of public institutions contradicts the neutrality obligation of the state and will be prohibited,” the program says. It also calls for a ban on “gendered language” by regulation.
“Protection of German identity” urged
In migration policy, the AfD calls for a “border and return police” within the state police and a deportation facility. The funding of what they see as “asylum policy lobby groups” and “extremist structures” through state funds should end, and the funding of the MV Refugee Council should be halted. In a “Democracy Clause” as a prerequisite for state funding, it should be about not only allegiance to the constitution but also political neutrality.
Under the heading “Protection of German Identity,” the AfD accuses the state government of aiming to replace a “German-influenced society” with “a multicultural society”—a claim that echoes right-wing conspiracy narratives. The program also includes the racially charged term “Remigration.”
AfD is the strongest party in polls
In a May opinion poll conducted by Infratest dimap for NDR, the AfD led in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with 36 percent of voters’ support. The SPD, led by Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig, stood at 27 percent. The AfD thus solidified its first-place standing from earlier polls, while the SPD narrowed the gap but remained well behind.
The CDU registered 10 percent, trailing behind Die Linke at 13 percent. The BSW reached 5 percent, the Greens 4 percent; the FDP played a negligible role. Despite the strong polling numbers, participation by the AfD in government remained considered open due to a lack of obvious coalition options. Leif-Erik Holm, the state party leader and a member of the Bundestag, was running as premier candidate. Holm did not accept a list seat and aimed to win the Schwerin direct mandate from Schwesig. The election is scheduled for September 20.
