<p>German far-right party AfD has written to members asking for cash, local media reported Friday, saying it is "in serious financial distress" after fines over illegal party donations.</p>.<p>AfD, the country's biggest opposition party after surging in 2017 polls, opposes multiculturalism, Islam and the immigration policies of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who it labels a "traitor".</p>.<p>The six-year-old party was fined more than 400,000 euros in April over illegal campaign funding during regional elections.</p>.<p>It has also seen private donations and state funding shrink this year, AfD treasurer Klaus Fohrmann wrote in an email to party members seen by regional newspaper group RND.</p>.<p>"We are in serious financial distress," he said, asking the roughly 38,000 members to come up with a further annual contribution of 120 euros ($133).</p>.<p>AfD spokespeople could not immediately be reached for comment.</p>.<p>The April fines related to funds received by one of the party's co-chiefs, Joerg Meuthen, and another leading member, Guido Reil, from Swiss advertising agency Goal AG in 2016 and 2017, respectively.</p>.<p>German political parties are banned from receiving campaign funds from non-EU sources -- justifying a fine around triple the original illegal contributions.</p>.<p>An investigation remains open into foreign donations to AfD's parliamentary leader Alice Weidel.</p>.<p>The party has said in the past that it has built up a one-million-euro reserve to pay for potential fines related to illegal donations.</p>.<p>Any new money will go into a legal defence fund the party is setting up to challenge potential close observation by Germany's VS domestic intelligence service.</p>.<p>Treasurer Fohrmann wrote to members Friday that a "six-figure sum" was needed to contest the possible move.</p>.<p>Party leaders fear that close observation by VS -- tasked with fending off threats to Germany's democratic order -- could count against them with voters.</p>.<p>AfD shook up Germany's political landscape when it won 12.6 percent of the vote in the 2017 general elections, taking dozens of seats in the Bundestag for the first time.</p>.<p>It scored lower in May's European election, at 11 percent.</p>.<p>In 2019, AfD's primary theme of migration has been largely driven out of headlines by other political topics like climate change.</p>
<p>German far-right party AfD has written to members asking for cash, local media reported Friday, saying it is "in serious financial distress" after fines over illegal party donations.</p>.<p>AfD, the country's biggest opposition party after surging in 2017 polls, opposes multiculturalism, Islam and the immigration policies of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who it labels a "traitor".</p>.<p>The six-year-old party was fined more than 400,000 euros in April over illegal campaign funding during regional elections.</p>.<p>It has also seen private donations and state funding shrink this year, AfD treasurer Klaus Fohrmann wrote in an email to party members seen by regional newspaper group RND.</p>.<p>"We are in serious financial distress," he said, asking the roughly 38,000 members to come up with a further annual contribution of 120 euros ($133).</p>.<p>AfD spokespeople could not immediately be reached for comment.</p>.<p>The April fines related to funds received by one of the party's co-chiefs, Joerg Meuthen, and another leading member, Guido Reil, from Swiss advertising agency Goal AG in 2016 and 2017, respectively.</p>.<p>German political parties are banned from receiving campaign funds from non-EU sources -- justifying a fine around triple the original illegal contributions.</p>.<p>An investigation remains open into foreign donations to AfD's parliamentary leader Alice Weidel.</p>.<p>The party has said in the past that it has built up a one-million-euro reserve to pay for potential fines related to illegal donations.</p>.<p>Any new money will go into a legal defence fund the party is setting up to challenge potential close observation by Germany's VS domestic intelligence service.</p>.<p>Treasurer Fohrmann wrote to members Friday that a "six-figure sum" was needed to contest the possible move.</p>.<p>Party leaders fear that close observation by VS -- tasked with fending off threats to Germany's democratic order -- could count against them with voters.</p>.<p>AfD shook up Germany's political landscape when it won 12.6 percent of the vote in the 2017 general elections, taking dozens of seats in the Bundestag for the first time.</p>.<p>It scored lower in May's European election, at 11 percent.</p>.<p>In 2019, AfD's primary theme of migration has been largely driven out of headlines by other political topics like climate change.</p>