AfD boycotts Zelenskyy’s Bundestag address
Leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party have stated they ignored President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s speech in the Bundestag, echoing Russian propaganda narratives questioning his legitimacy, German outlet n-tv reported on June 11.
AfD parliamentary faction leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla said they "refuse to listen to a speaker in camouflage." They parroted Russia’s propaganda that questions the legitimacy of the Ukrainian president.
Weidel and Chrupalla also hinted that they would prefer a Ukrainian president willing to compromise with Russia.
AfD and Sahra Wagenknecht’s far left party both decided to boycott Zelenskyy’s speech in the Bundestag, although four AfD lawmakers did attend.
Their announcement to boycott Zelenskyy’s speech provoked criticism in Berlin.
"All Ms. Wagenknecht’s talk about peace is completely implausible," said Free Democratic Party faction leader Christian Dürr.
Read also: Zelenskyy in Germany to participate in Ukraine Recovery Conference, meet with Chancellor Scholz
Zelenskyy’s term, under normal circumstances, would have expired on May 20, marking five years since his inauguration. However, Ukrainian laws prohibit holding elections while martial law remains in effect. Ukraine’s constitution, in turn, clearly states that a president’s authority remains in force until their successor is sworn in.
Besides the impracticality of holding elections with large swaths of the country’s territory under enemy occupation, a clear majority of Ukrainians clearly agree that political campaigning cannot take place while the war still rages. And although Zelenskyy’s approval rating has dropped to 63% over the past year (from 91% in February 2023), this remains relatively high.
Zelenskyy arrived in Germany on June 11 to participate in the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2024) and hold talks with Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
