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Alice Weidel

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Alice Weidel
MdB
Weidel in 2019, on the election night of the 2019 Saxony state election
Leader of the Alternative for Germany
Incumbent
Assumed office
18 June 2022
Serving with Tino Chrupalla
DeputyStephan Brandner
Peter Boehringer
Mariana Harder-Kühnel
Preceded byJörg Meuthen
Leader of the Alternative for Germany in the Bundestag
Incumbent
Assumed office
26 September 2017
Serving with Tino Chrupalla
Chief WhipBernd Baumann
DeputyPeter Felser
Leif-Erik Holm
Sebastian Münzenmaier
Beatrix von Storch
Preceded byPosition established
Leader of Alternative for Germany in Baden-Württemberg
Incumbent
Assumed office
15 February 2020
DeputyMartin Hess
Marc Jongen
Markus Frohnmaier
Preceded byBernd Gögel
Dirk Spaniel
Leader of the Opposition
In office
24 October 2017 – 26 October 2021
Serving with Alexander Gauland
ChancellorAngela Merkel
Preceded bySahra Wagenknecht
Dietmar Bartsch
Succeeded byRalph Brinkhaus
Member of the Bundestag
for Baden-Württemberg
Incumbent
Assumed office
24 October 2017
Preceded bymulti-member district
ConstituencyAfD List
Personal details
Born
Alice Elisabeth Weidel

(1979-02-06) 6 February 1979 (age 45)
Gütersloh, West Germany
Political partyAlternative for Germany
Domestic partnerSarah Bossard
Children2
Residences
Alma materUniversity of Bayreuth

Alice Elisabeth Weidel (born 6 February 1979) is a German politician and has been the leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the Bundestag since October 2017. She has been a member of the Bundestag (MdB) since the 2017 federal election during which she was the AfD's lead candidate together with Alexander Gauland.[1] Since November 2019, she has been the deputy federal spokeswoman for her party and, since February 2020, chairwoman of the AfD state association in Baden-Württemberg.[2]

Early life and career

Weidel was born in Gütersloh and grew up in Versmold, where she graduated from a Christliches Jugenddorfwerk Deutschlands (CJD) gymnasium in 1998.[3] She studied economics and business administration at the University of Bayreuth and graduated as one of the best in the year in 2004.[4] After receiving her undergraduate university degree, Weidel went to work for Goldman Sachs from July 2005 to June 2006 as an analyst in asset management in Frankfurt.[5] In the late 2000s, she worked at the Bank of China, living six years in China.[3][6] She speaks Mandarin.[7] Subsequently, she wrote a doctoral thesis with the health economist Peter Oberender at the Faculty of Law and Economics in Bayreuth on the future of the Chinese pension system. In 2011, she received her doctorate summa cum laude and became a doctor of philosophy in international development.[3][5][8][9] Her doctorate was supported by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.[10]

From March 2011 to May 2013, she worked at Allianz Global Investors in Frankfurt.[3] She was employed in 2013 and 2014 at Heristo, a Bad Rothenfelde-based animal feed supplier.[3] Since 2014, she has worked as a freelance business consultant.[3] In 2015, she worked for Rocket Internet and Foodora.[11] Weidel is a member of the Friedrich A. von Hayek Society.[12]

Politics

Alternative for Germany

Weidel joined the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in October 2013.[13] According to Weidel, she was first attracted to the party due to her opposition to the Euro.[14] She was elected to the federal executive committee of the AfD in June 2015.[15] In April 2017 she was elected co-Lead Candidate of the party.[8] She is the first lesbian to serve as a lead candidate of her party.[16] She has been identified by the media as belonging to the more moderate conservative Alternative Mitte faction within the AfD.[17][18]

Political positions

Religion

At the end of 2017, Weidel accused the Catholic Church and the Evangelical Church of Germany of "playing the same inglorious role that they played in the Third Reich", accusing both churches of being "thoroughly politicized" and stating that AfD is "the only Christian party that still exists" in Germany.[19] Such statements were dismissed by the German Bishops' Conference and the Evangelical Church as "polemics" and "derailment".[20]

Immigration

Weidel has criticized the immigration policies of Angela Merkel, stating that "the country will be destroyed through this immigration policy. Donald Trump said that Merkel is insane and I absolutely agree with that. It is a completely nonsensical form of politics that is being followed here."[14] She has called for the German government to invest in "special economic zones" in the Middle East to encourage educated and skilled persons to remain in their home countries and avoid the possibility of brain drain,[14] but also says she supports a "Canadian-style system" which would privilege skilled, over unskilled, immigrants.[21]

European Union

Weidel supports continued German membership in the European Union; however, she has called for economically weak states, such as Greece, to leave.[14] And, though supporting the EU, she also believes Germany should withdraw from the Euro single currency.[14]

LGBT issues

Weidel has stated her opposition to discussion of sexuality prior to puberty saying that "I don’t want anyone with their gender idiocy or their early sexualisation classes coming near my children".[14]

She has also expressed her opposition to legalization of same-sex marriage, stating that she supports protection of the "traditional family" while also supporting "other lifestyles".[14] She has said she supports civil partnership for gay and lesbian couples, noting she is a lesbian herself.[8][22]

Economic issues

She vigorously defends economic liberalism and declares Margaret Thatcher to be her model.[23]

She wants tax cuts, the abolition of inheritance tax and opposes the minimum wage.[24]

Environment

She expressed her doubts about global warming.[25]

Controversies

TV show "political correctness" incident

In April 2017, Weidel railed against political correctness, claiming that it belonged in the "dustbin of history".[26] In response, on 27 April, TV presenter Christian Ehring of the satire program extra 3 addressed this, saying "That’s right! Let’s put an end to political correctness. The Nazi slut is right. Was this incorrect enough? I hope so!"[26] Weidel sued the channel seeking to forbid re-airing of the program, and on 17 May the Hamburg District Court ruled against her, stating that a public figure must tolerate exaggerated criticism.[27] Weidel disagreed with the decision and promised to bring it to the Oberlandesgericht (Higher Regional Court).[28] As of September 2017, no further action had taken place.[26]

Illegal immigration incident

A September 2017 report by Die Zeit claimed that Weidel had illegally hired a Syrian refugee to do housework at her home in Switzerland. The report also alleged that the asylum seeker did not have a written work contract, nor were there invoices for her work. Weidel responded in a tweet that the Die Zeit report was “fake news” and “false" and Weidel's lawyer stated that Weidel had a Syrian stay at her home as a guest but not as a worker.[29][30][31]

Personal life

Weidel is in a relationship with a woman who lives in Einsiedeln, Switzerland and is originally from Sri Lanka; she works as a film producer. Weidel primarily lives in Berlin, but lives part-time in Einsiedeln. They have two adopted children.[32][33][34]

Selected publications

  • Das Rentensystem der Volksrepublik China. Reformoptionen aus ordnungstheoretischer Sicht zur Erhöhung der Risikoresistenz (= Schriften zur Nationalökonomie. Band 60). Verlag P.C.O., Bayreuth 2011, ISBN 978-3-941678-25-5.

References

  1. ^ Grieshaber, Kirsten (2017-04-23). "Germany's AfD party elects Alexander Gauland and Alice Weidel as general election candidates". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2017-04-27. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  2. ^ WELT (2020-02-15). "Baden-Württemberg: Weidel zur neuen AfD-Landesvorsitzenden gewählt". DIE WELT. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Becker, Sven (May 4, 2017). "How Far to the Right Is Alice Weidel?". Der Spiegel. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  4. ^ Jürgen Abel (24 May 2004). "Bayreuther Ökonom: Im Wissenschaftswettbewerb eindeutig positionieren und Stärken herausarbeiten" (in German). Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  5. ^ a b Marc Felix Serrao (2 March 2017). "ALICE WEIDEL IM PORTRÄT: Alternative zu Höcke". Faz.net (in German). Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  6. ^ Pepping, Dagmar (2016-07-26). "Alice Weidel - Hoffnungsträgerin der AfD" (in German). NDR. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  7. ^ "Germany's far right preaches traditional values. Can a lesbian mother be its new voice?". The Washington Post. May 15, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  8. ^ a b c Luyken, Jörg (May 11, 2017). "'Merkel is insane': meet the woman leading the AfD into the elections". The Local. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  9. ^ Schuster, Kathleen (2017-09-04). "AfD's Alice Weidel: The pride of the populists, a mystery to everyone else". dw.com. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  10. ^ "Publizierte Dissertationen aus der Promotionsförderung" (in German). Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  11. ^ Andreas Clasen (27 April 2016). ""Mit völkischem Gerede kann ich nichts anfangen"" (in German). Südwest Presse. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  12. ^ Pascal Beucker (18 March 2016). "Marktradikal und blank". Die Tageszeitung (in German).
  13. ^ Sabine am Orde (9 September 2017). "AfD-Politikerin Alice Weidel: Die neue Rechte". Die Tageszeitung (in German). Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Ma, Alexandra (September 22, 2017). "Meet Alice Weidel, the ex-Goldman Sachs banker who could lead a far-right party to its best German election result since the Nazis". Business Insider. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  15. ^ Melanie Amann; Sven Becker (3 May 2017). "Neue AfD-Spitzenkandidatin Wer ist Alice Weidel?". Der Spiegel (in German). No. 18/2017. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  16. ^ "Cosmopolitan Lesbian Turns Far-Right Agitator". 20 September 2017. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  17. ^ Alan Posener: Diese Geste finden „gemäßigte“ AfDler verfassungsfeindlich, WeltN24, 3. Oktober 2017.
  18. ^ Sabine Am Orde: „Alternative Mitte“ gegen „Flügel“, taz, 6. Oktober 2017.
  19. ^ AfD Christian Weidel
  20. ^ "SZ-Online: Weidel provoziert Kirchen mit Vergleich zur Nazi-Zeit". 2018-04-09. Archived from the original on 2018-04-09. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
  21. ^ Wildman, Sarah (June 5, 2017). "The German far right is faltering. They're hoping a lesbian mom can reenergize the party". Vox. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  22. ^ AfD campaigns against homosexuals and transsexuals
  23. ^ "Germany's far-right AfD leader: 'Margaret Thatcher is my role model'". TheGuardian.com. 29 October 2017.
  24. ^ https://www.manager-magazin.de/fotostrecke/alice-weidel-die-positionen-der-afd-spitzenkandidatin-fotostrecke-146891.html>
  25. ^ "ZEIT ONLINE | Lesen Sie zeit.de mit Werbung oder im PUR-Abo. Sie haben die Wahl".
  26. ^ a b c Charter, David (18 May 2017). "TV show's 'Nazi slut' jibe at politician is legal, say judges". The Times. Berlin. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  27. ^ "AfD leader loses case versus German TV show that calls her 'Nazi bitch'". Reuters. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  28. ^ "Satiriker darf AfD-Frau Weidel als "Nazi-Schlampe" bezeichnen". sueddeutsche.de (in German). 2017-05-17. ISSN 0174-4917. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
  29. ^ "German far-right leader accused of illegally hiring Syrian refugee: report". POLITICO. 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  30. ^ "Far-right AfD leader Alice Weidel 'employed Syrian refugee as cleaner'". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  31. ^ "Lead election candidate of far-right German party secretly employed Syrian asylum seeker as cleaner". The Independent. 2017-09-13. Archived from the original on 2017-09-14. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  32. ^ "AfD-Kandidatin Alice Weidel mit Coming-out auf der Wahlkampf-Bühne: "Ich bin homosexuell"". RTL Next (in German). 2017-09-21. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  33. ^ Steiner, Thomas (2017-04-23). "Das neue Gesicht der AfD: Wer ist eigentlich Alice Weidel?". Badische Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  34. ^ "AfD-Frontfrau Alice Weidel hat einen Wohnsitz in der Schweiz". Die Welt (in German). 2017-04-29. Retrieved 2017-09-06.
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