BERLIN — The far-right Alternative for Germany said Friday that its co-leader, a relative moderate, is leaving the party.
It confirmed a report by public broadcaster ARD, but didn’t immediately say why Joerg Meuthen was quitting. The 60-year-old was a prominent figure throughout the party’s nine-year history.
Meuthen was considered one of the few relative moderates in a party that has increasingly tilted to the right since it was founded in 2013.
ARD quoted Meuthen saying the party had clear “totalitarian” tendencies.
The university economics professor is a member of the European Parliament.
The party’s platform initially centered on opposition to bailouts for struggling eurozone members. But it was its vehement opposition to then-Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to allow in large numbers of refugees and other migrants in 2015 that established it as a significant political force.
