20260203 AfD knackt Spendenobergrenze

03.02.2026 AfD knackt Spendenobergrenze

Who donates to Nazis?

All parties should have equal opportunities in elections. Looking at donations to political parties, it is clear that this is not the case. Fortunately, the threshold for publishing individual donations has been lowered from €50,000 to €35,000, making it possible to identify a few more large donations.

LobbyControl has been campaigning for years for transparency regarding the influence of companies on politics. Three days ago, they wrote to us on this topic:

In 2024 and 2025, there were a total of €42 million in large donations. In a non-election year, large donations usually amount to €5-6 million. This finding significantly changes the picture. In addition: In the five months before the election alone, donations totaled €24 million, significantly more than in the entire calendar year 2021. There is therefore good reason to believe that large donations have roughly doubled since 2021.

The AfD is experiencing an explosion in donations that could effectively remove its financial limitations. Although the CDU remains in the lead, no party has grown faster than the AfD, which received over €5 million in 2025. Particularly problematic is the fact that 95% of these large donations come from just three donors. This enormous increase shows that more and more wealthy individuals and companies are openly supporting the AfD. It is alarming that a party classified as right-wing extremist by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (court proceedings still pending) is receiving massive financial support. But it is outrageous that the state is doubling millions in donations from just three individuals as part of party financing. This is another reason why we need a cap on party donations.

In the five months leading up to the federal election alone, more was donated than in the entire calendar year 2021. However, there are many indications that large donations have roughly doubled. These large donations give wealthy individuals and companies additional influence and distort political competition in their favor. The simplest and most effective measure against this development is a cap on party donations, as is already standard practice in most other EU countries.

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