System - German opposition to demand EU exit – media

Alternative for Germany (AfD) – the third largest opposition party in the country’s parliament – intends to take the country out of the EU if it wins the upcoming election, several media outlets reported on Friday, citing the party’s newly drafted election manifesto.

AfD, presently polling in second place behind the center-right CDU ahead of next year’s elections, has confirmed that the document is ready but has not released it to the public. The party also wants Germany to ditch the euro, and return to a “stable national currency,” media outlets including Die Zeit and Der Spiegel have claimed.

“We believe that Germany’s exit from the European Union and the establishment of a new European community are necessary,” the 85-page manifesto reportedly says.

The EU in its current form should be replaced by an “Economic and Interest Community” after a transition period “negotiated… with both the old EU partner states and new interested parties,” media outlets have cited the document as saying, adding that the AfD believes the EU is trying to become a “superstate.”