(ANSA-AFP) - ERFURT, 04 LUG - Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla were re-elected as the far-right AfD party co-leaders Saturday at the congress in Erfurt for another two years, as expected. Weidel received 81 percent of the vote and Chrupalla 70 percent -- a reversal from the previous ballot two years ago, when Chrupalla won more votes. Merz has made it his mission to reverse the rise of the AfD, which has been locked out of power as all other parties have refused to cooperate with it. The AfD says it is a conservative force occupying the space once held by Merz's Christian Democrats before former chancellor Angela Merkel a decade ago allowed millions of refugees and asylum seekers into Germany. But critics point to AfD politicians downplaying Nazi crimes and links to banned right-wing extremist groups. (ANSA-AFP).