Alice Weidel, First Openly Gay Leader Of Far-Right Afd, Steals Limelight As Germany Votes To Choose Its Chancellor

(MENAFN- Live Mint) As voters in Germany go out on Sunday to vote for their new leader in a pivotal election, all eyes will be frozen on the openly gay leader of the divisive far-right party, the Alternative for German (AfD), Alice Weidel.

An unusual choice to many to lead AfD's electoral ambitions, Alice Weidel is the first ever candidate of the anti-immigration party for the post of the Chancellor. She lives with her partner in Switzerland, while being an active member of the German party.

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AfD, which bats against asylum seekers, Islam and multiculturalism, is unlikely to win a government amid other parties not eager to cooperate due to a longstanding policy named firewall. However, the party, led by Weidel, is likely to emerge as the second-largest in the parliament.

Here is what you need to know about Alice Weidel.

A business administration genius

Alice Weidel studied economics and business administration at the University of Bayreuth, graduating as one of the best students of the 2004 batch.

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Following her graduation, she went on to work as an analyst with Goldman Sachs Asset Management from July 2005 to June 2006. Thereafter, for six years, she worked at the Bank of China, living in the country.

Weidel also has a doctorate in international development, receiving it magna cum laude.

Joining AfD

Alice Weidel joined the Alternative for Germany in 2013, becoming the first lesbian leader to lead the party.

Weidel's story with the party started with their mutual opposition for the euro. In April 2017, she became the co-lead of the party.

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