Bavarian Prime Minister Zeder opposed the ban on the AfD party

Markus Zeder, chairman of the Christian Social Union (CSU) and Prime Minister of Bavaria, said that banning the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party would be an "excessive reaction." This was reported on May 11 by the newspaper Bild am Sonntag.

"I am against the prohibition procedure, that is, an overreaction. I consider the ban procedure to be the wrong approach," the politician said.

He believes that the assessment of the AFD as right-wing extremist allegedly could not have appeared from scratch, however, the politician stressed that the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution of Germany (Counterintelligence) should justify its conclusion.

Zeder added that no one knows what this approach of the German authorities will lead to, and said that parties should not be banned every three years.

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It was decided to hold a repeat vote on the same day.

On May 2, the Federal Office for the Protection of the German Constitution classified the AFD as a right-wing extremist organization that threatens democracy in the country. According to the authorities, this step reduces the obstacles to monitoring the party with the help of special services and allows for better control of its activities.

Later, on May 5, the AfD filed a lawsuit against this federal agency for its decision. The Bild newspaper reported on May 8 that counterintelligence had temporarily suspended the definition of the party as right-wing extremist until a court decision was issued.