AfD on democracy and the state

The AfD wants to declare Baden-Württemberg a "space of free speech." Prosecutors would generally drop cases based purely on statements of opinion, and the special criminal protection for politicians would go. The AfD would have EU rules on online content reviewed and, where warranted, stop enforcing them in the state.

The AfD wants more freedom to speak and write. Prosecutors should usually drop cases about things people said. One law gives politicians extra protection from insults. The AfD wants to end this law. It wants to stop using some EU internet rules in the state.

For speech offenses, especially online, prosecutors would have to apply proportionality strictly and normally close investigations under Section 153 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. At the federal level, the AfD would work to repeal Section 188 of the Criminal Code, which punishes insults against politicians more severely; it sees the provision as a way to deter criticism. It would also commission a legal review of whether EU regulations and directives on online speech exceed the EU's powers. Where the answer is yes, enforcement in the state would be suspended. The platform argues that a democracy must tolerate provocative statements too.

The AfD wants to reduce the number of state ministries from twelve to seven or eight and cut at least 250 positions in the state administration every year. It justifies this with sharply increased personnel and pension costs, which in its view will restrict the state's financial leeway for a long time.

The AfD wants fewer ministries in the state. Twelve should become seven or eight. At least 250 jobs should also be cut each year. The AfD says staff cost the state too much money.

The interior ministry would be solely responsible for migration and asylum. The ministry for regional development and housing and the transport ministry would be dissolved, with their tasks moving to a strengthened economics ministry. The yearly job cuts would be made binding in the state budget law; according to the platform, such an obligation was suspended in 2017. As justification, the platform cites a 37 percent rise in personnel spending to 21.6 billion euros between 2015 and 2024 and pension provisions of 218.5 billion euros.

The AfD wants the state not to use its resources to strengthen particular political positions and wants to end funding for NGOs it sees as one-sided and for favored media. It also opposes a widening of the term extremism, which it regards as a restriction of free speech.

The AfD says the state must be politically neutral. It should not give money to groups that back only one political side. It should not favor certain media either. The AfD wants to protect free speech.

The platform calls state neutrality a pillar of democracy. When public money goes to non-state organizations with a political slant, the AfD says these become de facto actors close to the government; this practice should end. It says the term extremism is being stretched, under the label of a 'defensive democracy', to cover positions within the constitutional spectrum. The party wants to counter politically motivated assessments by agencies bound by government instructions.

The AfD wants administrative procedures to be handled fully digitally and data to be requested only once. Uniform IT standards, consolidated registers and the use of AI are meant to speed up processing and ease the load on businesses and citizens.

The AfD wants government offices to work digitally. People and businesses should only have to give their data once. All offices should use the same technology. Computer programs should help with the work. This should make applications go faster.

The program calls for mandatory digitalization of procedures from application to decision and contrasts this with mere PDF forms. Digital registers would be consolidated so that data is not held twice and no breaks between paper and digital formats occur. It provides for uniform IT standards, central communication tools and the use of shared federal and state infrastructure. Artificial intelligence and automation are meant to speed up case handling and decisions, shorten waiting times and relieve staff. In the AfD's view, the administration should act as a partner to business.