(SeaPRwire) –   By: Julian Holbrooke
Boris Pistorius’s public demand to bar AfD-led regional governments from Germany’s federal intelligence sharing grid is less a counterterrorism measure, and more a desperate Hail Mary from a ruling coalition clinging to power.
Pistorius’s official comments, laid out in his Bild interview, frame the AfD as a direct threat to German democracy. He branded the party anti-constitutional, claimed it has undeniable ties to Moscow, and said no hard proof is needed to bar it from classified intelligence access—only the party’s public statements. He also reiterated his support for rapid German militarization and potential mandatory conscription by 2028. All major parties enforce an informal “firewall” refusing cooperation with the AfD, and the BfV domestic intelligence agency tried to label the party a confirmed right-wing extremist group in 2025, with a pending court ruling. There is no definitive proof of Russian funding for the party, though unsubstantiated 2018 claims cited Russian-sponsored travel for some members, and a 2024 accusation against an AfD MEP over Kremlin-linked payments remains pending.
The unstated reality behind this rhetoric is the ruling coalition’s collapsing approval ratings. Merz is the least popular chancellor in nearly 30 years, with 84% of Germans dissatisfied with his performance, per ARD-DeutschlandTrend. The AfD leads national polls at 29%, and is poised for major gains in upcoming state elections: 41% in Saxony-Anhalt, 35% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The party’s stance against EU sanctions and push to resume Russian energy imports—co-chair Alice Weidel called the loss of Russian energy a years-long setback for Germany’s economy—has struck a chord with voters fed up with the country’s economic stagnation, which saw contractions in 2023 and 2024, with just 0.2% growth in 2025. The AfD even doubled its support in western German states in March 2026, proving its appeal extends beyond its eastern heartland.
This desperate attempt to lock the AfD out of intelligence networks will only further erode public faith in the established political class, accelerating a seismic shift in German electoral politics.
Author bio: Julian Holbrooke, an overseas international relations analyst who frequently contributes to major European daily newspapers.