Former AfD Leader Frauke Petry Plans to Establish New Political Party

Frauke Petry, the former chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), has announced her intention to establish a new political party, aiming to participate in state elections starting in 2026. In a recent interview, Petry revealed that several months ago, she and her associates founded an organization named 'Team Freiheit' as a preparatory step for this initiative.

While Petry has not disclosed the name of the upcoming party, she has indicated that its ideological framework is already defined. She emphasized that the existing political landscape has a notable gap, not between the CDU and the AfD, but in the absence of a libertarian, anti-statist alternative. According to Petry, the new party will advocate for a renewal of cultural ties to the West and propose an anti-statist agenda as a constructive counter to the current political offerings.

Petry has set a bold goal for her new party, stating that the state expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product should be reduced from nearly 50% to 25% within five years. She pointed out that no current party is committed to such a target while also championing freedom of expression.

The former chemist originally co-founded the AfD alongside Bernd Lucke and others, but she departed from the party following internal conflicts, particularly after the 2017 federal elections. Petry attributed her exit to the growing influence of the far-right faction led by Björn Höcke, the AfD's regional chief in Thuringia. Following her departure, she served as an independent member of the Bundestag until 2021, during which time she attempted to launch another party, the Blaue Partei. However, this venture was short-lived, as it was disbanded by the end of 2019 after disappointing election performances in Saxony and Thuringia.

Now, Petry is optimistic about a more successful restart. She has announced plans for her new party to compete in the upcoming state elections, beginning in Baden-Württemberg. A distinctive feature of this initiative is the aim to attract independent citizens and seasoned professionals as candidates without requiring them to become party members. This approach seeks to represent the vast majority of the population--approximately 98%--who do not belong to any political party.