There is an agreement between the democratic parties of the Bundestag (German parliament) not to work with extreme parties. Parties that are not on the outer fringe are considered democratic parties. Extreme politics is undemocratic. The fact that such parties can still be elected to the Bundestag is democratic - but it does not oblige anyone to include them in alliances. This principle is not about arbitrary exclusion but rather about preserving democratic norms. The German constitution explicitly defends a defensive democracy, meaning it can and does take measures against parties that threaten democratic principles.

Extreme politics is considered undemocratic because the consequences in their extreme form are disproportionate to the will of the people, which is excluded from a theoretical majority.

If, for example, the party Die Linke were to find a majority for a government, it could mean extreme changes for a large part of the population that would deviate too far from the common consensus.

At the state level, however, there can be no overarching agreement because the respective state levels of the parties make their own rules. This is due to the federalist system. That is why there can be coalitions with extreme parties at the state level, for example with the far-left party Die Linke, but not in the Bundestag. The impact of a party on a state level would not be as big.

The AfD has been classified in parts as an extremist organization by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, particularly due to racist, nationalist, and anti-democratic tendencies. Statements from prominent AfD politicians have repeatedly included anti-migrant, antisemitic, and anti-Muslim rhetoric, which many consider to be fundamentally inhumane.

On the other hand, while Die Linke has some extreme factions (such as those with anti-capitalist or pro-communist leanings), its core ideology is generally based on social justice, redistribution, and pacifism, rather than targeting specific groups of people. This is why the mainstream parties sometimes cooperate with Die Linke at the state level but consistently refuse any alliance with the AfD.

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