The Swiss-based ex-banker who leads Germany’s far right: Alice Weidel plays the long game

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Co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Alice Weidel on TV programme 'Klartext' hosted by public broadcaster ZDF in Berlin on February 13th, 2025. Photograph: Michael Kappeler/AFP/Getty Seven minutes into Alice Weidel’s first big election interview, the 46-year-old delivered the meme of the campaign: rolling her eyes on live television. The lead candidate for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was explaining why only her party can fix Germany’s broken politics, economics, and fiscal and migration policies. “AfD votes are already shaping the country,” she declared with satisfaction. It was a nod to how her party backed –...