AfD Leaders Face Tough Questions in German TV Summer Interviews

On a Sunday shortly before regional elections, German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF aired two 'summer interviews' with the top leadership of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). In the first interview on ARD, co-leader Tino Chrupalla adopted a more moderate tone and made news by partially rejecting advances from the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW). Immediately after, on ZDF, his co-leader Alice Weidel delivered a combative performance, insulting the federal government as 'Flachzangen da oben' (blockheads up there), prematurely claiming election victories in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Berlin, and defiantly stating that the CDU would never win another federal election. The broadcasters defended their decision to feature the AfD leaders, citing the party's strong polling numbers ahead of the elections. Critics, however, argue that such formats provide a platform for extremist views and question the future of the summer interview format itself.