AfD Faces Parliamentary Resistance Despite Doubling Bundestag Seats

Germany's largest opposition party struggles to secure key Bundestag roles as major parties block its demands over extremism concerns.

The AfD has doubled its Bundestag representation to 152 MPs, making it the largest opposition party in Germany.
Despite its increased size, the AfD's candidate for Bundestagsvizepräsident, Gerold Otten, is unlikely to secure the position due to opposition from major parties like the CDU/CSU and SPD.
The party is demanding five to six committee chair positions, but a Federal Constitutional Court ruling allows the Bundestag to exclude the AfD from such roles.
The AfD is also seeking representation on the Parliamentary Oversight Panel, which monitors intelligence services, but faces resistance over trust and security concerns.
Other parties argue that the AfD's exclusion is necessary to protect democratic institutions, while the AfD claims it undermines political pluralism.