Alice Weidel, the co-leader of Germany’s right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, said the victory of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in the first round of France’s legislative election is something to emulate.
"I look at the result in France with admiration and respect,” Weidel said on the sidelines of the AfD convention in Essen in western Germany on Sunday. "I think it’s wonderful that Marine Le Pen managed to achieve such a great result. And of course it’s also a role model for the AfD.”
Relations between Weidel and Le Pen have been strained since the French right-wing politician severed ties with the AfD in the run up to the European Parliament election earlier this month. The AfD’s lead candidate Maximilian Krah told an Italian newspaper that not all members of the Nazi SS paramilitary organization were criminals, remarks that led Le Pen to break with the German group.