The Cologne Administrative Court has ruled that the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) is not currently allowed to label Alternative for Germany (AfD) as “confirmed far-right.”

According to the court, the main proceedings will have to await a decision on the party’s request for an interim injunction, which was granted. The court stated: “There is sufficient evidence that efforts against the free democratic order are occurring within the AfD. However, this does not shape the party in such a way that an unconstitutional fundamental attitude can be attributed to it as a whole.”

Last year, the BfV classified the AfD as “confirmed far-right” following several years of investigation. The office concluded that the suspicion that the party pursued goals opposing the free democratic order had been largely confirmed and, to a significant extent, established with certainty.

In response, the AfD filed a lawsuit and requested an interim injunction with the Administrative Court in Cologne, where the BfV is based. The party sought a court order preventing the BfV from classifying, categorizing, or treating it as a “far-right extremist party”.

While the interim injunction temporarily blocks this classification, the main proceedings are still ongoing, meaning the legal dispute over whether the AfD can officially be labeled “confirmed far-right” could continue for some time.