German government, opposition agree constitutional changes to protect top court, newspaper reports

FILE PHOTO: A general view of the courtroom before the hearing of the Higher Administrative Court of the federal state of North-Rhine Westphalia that will decide whether the far-right Alternative for Germany AFD party can be classified as a suspected case of right-wing extremism in Muenster, Germany, March 12, 2024. REUTERS/Andreas Kranz/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's centre-left ruling coalition and the main conservative opposition have agreed a draft law to protect its highest court, the Rheinische Post newspaper reported on Thursday, at a time of growing concern about the strength of the far-right AfD party.

The anti-establishment, nationalist party is already under state surveillance on suspicion of being extremist and anti-constitution. The AfD rejects allegations it is undemocratic and has said the Constitutional Court, which is appointed by parliament, is biased and closely linked with the government.