Tino Chrupalla (left) and Alice Weidel will lead the party into September's election. AFP
Tino Chrupalla (left) and Alice Weidel will lead the party into September's election. AFP
Tino Chrupalla (left) and Alice Weidel will lead the party into September's election. AFP
Tino Chrupalla (left) and Alice Weidel will lead the party into September's election. AFP

Hardliners picked to lead far-right AfD into German general election


Simon Rushton
  • English
  • Arabic

Two immigration hardliners have been picked to lead the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party into the country's next election cycle.
Tino Chrupalla, 46, a painter and decorator from Saxony who has been an MP since 2017, backs the extreme wing of the party.
Alice Weidel, 42, is an economist and co-head of the party in the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of Parliament.
About 71 per cent of party members favoured the Weidel-Chrupalla alliance as its top candidates in an online vote against the more mainstream pair, Joana Cotar and Joachim Wundrak.

Ms Weidel said AfD would focus its campaign on the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Measures introduced to curb the spread of the virus were "excessive", she said.
Germany's restrictions were less strict than those in many of its European neighbours and it had fewer deaths per capita than France, Italy, Spain or Britain.
The AfD harbours many supporters who oppose Covid-19 vaccinations and have joined anti-lockdown protests.
The party's election manifesto includes a call to leave the EU.
The anti-immigration party is polling at around 11 per cent, down from nearly 13 per cent in the 2017 election.

Mr Chrupalla drew criticism during last year's Black Lives Matter protests when he said that multicultural countries were heading for a dead end.
The AfD was set up in 2013 as an anti-euro party during the eurozone debt crisis.

The pair celebrate their win. EPA
The pair celebrate their win. EPA

It has since shifted to the right and capitalised on voters angry at conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door policy toward migrants in 2015.

AfD became the third-biggest party in the 2017 election but Germany's mainstream parties refuse to co-operate with its members.
Mrs Merkel's ruling conservatives have slumped in recent polls as voters perceived mistakes in the handling of the pandemic, corruption scandals and internal fighting.
Her bloc named CDU leader and North Rhine-Westphalia state premier Armin Laschet as its candidate for chancellor in the election in September.
Mr Laschet won after a bitter contest with CSU leader Markus Soeder.
He has been promoted as a continuity candidate for Germany as it enters the post-Merkel era, but he is deeply unpopular among Germans.
The Social Democrats, Mrs Merkel's current coalition partners, nominated Finance Minister Olaf Scholz as their candidate months ago.

Financial considerations before buying a property

Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.

“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says. 

Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.

Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier. 

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Scores

Wales 74-24 Tonga
England 35-15 Japan
Italy 7-26 Australia

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Alan Rushbridger, Canongate

T20 World Cup Qualifier

Final: Netherlands beat PNG by seven wickets

Qualified teams

1. Netherlands
2. PNG
3. Ireland
4. Namibia
5. Scotland
6. Oman

T20 World Cup 2020, Australia

Group A: Sri Lanka, PNG, Ireland, Oman
Group B: Bangladesh, Netherlands, Namibia, Scotland

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Fixtures
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWednesday%2C%20April%203%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EArsenal%20v%20Luton%20Town%2C%2010.30pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EManchester%20City%20v%20Aston%20Villa%2C%2011.15pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EThursday%2C%20April%204%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ELiverpool%20v%20Sheffield%20United%2C%2010.30pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
BORDERLANDS

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis

Director: Eli Roth

Rating: 0/5

RESULTS

Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.

Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.

Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.

Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.

Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.

Catchweight 80kg​​​​​​​
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.

Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.

Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.

Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.

Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.

Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.

FIXTURES

UAE’s remaining fixtures in World Cup qualification R2
Oct 8: Malaysia (h)
Oct 13: Indonesia (a)
Nov 12: Thailand (h)
Nov 17: Vietnam (h)
 

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