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POLITICS

No room in Germany? Far-right AfD politicians to meet in Poland

Lawmakers from Germany's far-right AfD party will travel to neighbouring Poland to hold a meeting at the weekend after German hotels objected to hosting the group, the party and media sources said on Thursday.

No room in Germany? Far-right AfD politicians to meet in Poland
File photo shows a previous AfD meeting in Bavaria in 2018. Photo: DPA

Some 70 of the party's 91 members of parliament will gather on Friday evening in the Polish city of Szczecin, near the border with Germany, said the sources, including a party member and an advisor who asked not to be named.

According to German media RND, there were several reasons the Alternative for Germany party decided to meet Poland, including less expensive hotel rooms.

But it was also motivated by several cancellations and refusals by German hotels to welcome the group, RND reported.

A gathering of far-right lawmakers had previously been cancelled in March after a hotel turned them down fearing what it called bad “publicity”.

READ ALSO: Could Germany's CDU enter a tie up with the populist AfD?

The Polish location will also probably allow AfD to avoid any counter-demonstrations, which often occur around their meetings and sometimes turn violent.

Fearing violence, the AfD had cancelled its gathering in Berlin after the European elections on May 26th.

Clarify party position

The anti-immigrant party was founded in 2013 and entered the Bundestag in 2017.

Its meeting this weekend is to prepare for the next parliamentary session and to clarify the party's position on several issues, including climate change which has become a major concern for voters in Germany as in other
European countries.

The Green party has taken the lead in recent opinion polls, far ahead of the AfD, some of whose members are climate sceptics.

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POLITICS

Federal President gives final sign-off to cannabis legalisation

The sign-off clears the final legislative hurdle for the law, paving the way for cannabis to become legal in Germany on April 1st - Easter Monday.

Federal President gives final sign-off to cannabis legalisation

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has given final sign-off to Germany’s law legalising cannabis, despite appeals from the opposition Christian Democrats not to sign the law over objections from state interior and justice ministers.

Even against these objections, the law passed the Bundesrat – German parliament’s upper chamber representing the states – on March 22nd. The Bundestag approved it already last month.

Presidential signature is the last step required to make German laws official after they’ve passed the country’s two chambers of parliament.

Although the law technically comes into effect April 1st, its implementation will be done in stages.

From April 1st, people will be able to legally possess and smoke cannabis in Germany and grow up to three plants at home. They’ll be able to have up to 25 grams on them and be in possession of 50 grams in total.

However, until July 1st, the only way to get cannabis in Germany legally will be to grow it yourself. On July 1st, cannabis clubs will open for distribution.

KEY POINTS: What to know about Germany’s partial legalisation of cannabis

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