Majority of Germans view AfD cronyism allegations as problematic

A majority of Germans consider reports of cronyism involving the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to be problematic, according to a survey published on Saturday.

In an INSA poll conducted for the Bild newspaper, 57% of respondents said they considered it problematic that AfD lawmakers had hired relatives of fellow party members as staff paid with taxpayers’ money.

Twenty-eight percent said they did not see a problem, while 15% were undecided or gave no answer.

The survey of 1,001 eligible voters was conducted on February 12 and 13 and was described as representative.

In several German states, cases have emerged in which relatives of AfD politicians were employed by other members of the Bundestag, the country’s lower house of parliament.

AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla has acknowledged employing the wife of Saxony state parliament member Robert Kuhnert in his constituency office.

Opinion was split on whether the allegations are harming the party: 41% said yes, 39% said no and 20% were undecided or declined to comment.

Founded in 2013 as an anti-euro party, the AfD quickly shifted direction as nationalist and far-right figures rose to prominence, prompting many of its original members to depart.

The party gained significant momentum during the 2015 refugee crisis, when hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers entered Germany.