Court rules Germany's AfD must allow journalists at election party

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party must allow several journalists, whom they intended to exclude, access to their election party for the Thuringia elections, following a court ruling.

The Regional Court of Erfurt on Saturday ruled in favour of the media companies that saw press freedom threatened, a decision made one day before the election for the regional parliament in Thuringia on Sunday.

The judgement is not yet legally binding. The AfD can appeal the verdict at the Higher Regional Court. It is unclear whether there will be any legal steps before the election party, given the short timeframe.

The news magazine Der Spiegel, the Springer brands Bild and Die Welt, and the daily Die Tageszeitung, or taz, had jointly approached the regional court to challenge the exclusion of their journalists from the AfD election party, which they intended to cover.

Central election celebrations by political parties on election day are traditionally crucial points of contact for the media. Journalists capture the mood regarding the election results and conduct interviews, often with many prominent party members present.

On Sunday, the people of Thuringia are due to elect a new state parliament. The AfD is fielding top candidate Björn Höcke. In recent polls, the party is leading with figures around 30%.

The regional domestic intelligence agency, the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, classifies the Thuringian AfD as definitively right-wing extremist.