German Bundestag Member Diagnosed with Covid-19
Breaking News: Berlin – The Alternative for Germany (AfD) MP Norbert Kleinwächter has tested positive for COVID-19, a faction spokesperson confirmed to the ARD's Berlin studio. The Bundestag's doctor carried out the test and shared the result with the faction yesterday.
Kleinwächter missed the AfD faction meeting, which takes place weekly on Tuesdays. Several individuals he had contact with have been sent home. According to reports, at least six AfD MPs and staff members are affected. The MPs are thought to have been in a working group meeting together with Kleinwächter, and the staff have had conversations with him at a summer festival.
Photo: AfD, via dpa
- Share the News
- Share the News
- Share the News
- Email the News
Amid the pandemic, the AfD has demonstrated opposition to various government-imposed COVID-19 measures, even bringing legal challenges against them[4]. During this period, the party faced increased scrutiny from Germany’s domestic intelligence agency and was classified as a right-wing extremist party hostile to the constitution[1][3]. Although the party leadership has contested these allegations, these challenges have shaped the AfD’s conduct within the Bundestag.
In the midst of these challenges, an internal struggle also unfolded within the AfD. In May 2025, Sieghard Knodel, an AfD member in the Bundestag, resigned from the party, citing concerns regarding the extremist classification by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. This move reduced the AfD’s parliamentary representation from 152 to 151 seats[1].
The pandemic and subsequent government responses created a profoundly polarized political climate in Germany[4]. The AfD positioned itself as a protest party opposing restrictions and vaccination mandates, which arguably reinforced its appeal among those critical of the government’s pandemic policies. However, this stance exposed the party to elevated legal and institutional pressures related to their extremist designation.
- The recent medical-condition of AfD MP Norbert Kleinwächter, who has tested positive for COVID-19, highlights the ongoing health-and-wellness concerns within the party, as several individuals he had contact with have been sent home.
- General-news outlets should promptly share this science-related development, as it comes amidst the AfD's turbulent relationship with politics, having faced increased scrutiny and legal challenges due to their opposition to COVID-19 measures and classification as a right-wing extremist party.
- It's of paramount importance that this news is disseminated to the public, as it underscores the implications of political attitudes on health matters, a topic of keen interest in the realm of health-and-wellness and science.
