AfD’s Banking Troubles Ahead of Elections

BERLIN (Reuters) – A local chapter of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party announced on Wednesday that its account had been terminated by its bank, Volksbank Duesseldorf-Neuss. The party described this action as part of an election campaign against it.

When contacted by Reuters, Volksbank Duesseldorf-Neuss declined to comment on its customer relationships.

The AfD remains a strong contender in the polls ahead of the national election on February 23. Analysts suggest that Donald Trump’s potential return to the White House may provide the anti-immigration and anti-Islam party with a favorable boost.

Despite its poll standing, analysts believe the AfD is unlikely to gain power due to a coalition ‘firewall’ formed by other parties that refuse to collaborate with what they see as an anti-democratic outfit. Nevertheless, some politicians from rival parties have called for stricter measures against the AfD, including the possibility of an outright ban.

Germany’s electoral system necessitates coalition-building for government formation, making it tough for any single party to govern alone.

The Duesseldorf branch of the AfD shared a bank letter on social media stating that Volksbank Duesseldorf-Neuss would close its account. The letter indicated, “We are making use of our right under our general conditions of business to end our business relationship from March 31,” without elaborating on the reason for the closure.

This is not the first incident of this nature; last year, Berlin Volksbank shut down the AfD’s donations account after a petition by the anti-fascist group “Grandmas against the Right” garnered over 33,000 signatures.

The AfD’s Duesseldorf branch commented on Telegram, stating, “Debanking is a curious way of campaigning.” They also noted that their campaign would not be significantly impacted, as they have until the end of March to find alternative banking arrangements, more than a month following the election.