Christian Piwarz, Saxony’s Interior Minister resigns amid extortion allegations

Piwarz accused of threatening and extorting a company in order to win construction contracts

Party colleagues express shock and outrage; demand investigation and action

Christian Piwarz, the interior minister of the state of Saxony in eastern Germany, has resigned from his post amid allegations of extortion.

Piwarz is accused of threatening and extorting a company in order to win construction contracts for a company he was involved with.

According to German media reports, the allegations against Piwarz stem from a criminal complaint filed by two businessmen who claim that he threatened to withhold state funding from their company unless they awarded construction contracts to the company he was involved with.

Piwarz has denied the allegations and criticized investigators for leaking details of the case to the German media.

Members of Piwarz's own party, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), have expressed shock and outrage at the allegations.

Alice Weidel, the co-leader of the AfD, called for a "thorough investigation" into the allegations and said that Piwarz should be removed from the party if the allegations are proven to be true

Tino Chrupalla, the other co-leader of the AfD, said that the allegations were "extremely serious" and that he had "no understanding" for Piwarz's actions.

The allegations against Piwarz come at a sensitive time for the AfD, which is facing growing criticism over its ties to far-right extremists.

The party is also facing internal divisions, with some members calling for a more moderate approach and others pushing for a more radical agenda.

The resignation of Piwarz is a major blow to the AfD, which is the largest opposition party in the German parliament.

It is unclear what impact the allegations against Piwarz will have on the AfD's electoral prospects in the upcoming state elections in Saxony in September.