The AfD wants to stick to its list of candidates for the European elections next June, despite allegedly providing false information from two applicants. Party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla said this on Tuesday. In this way, the party leadership apparently wants to prevent a new, expensive party conference from becoming necessary by excluding the candidates. A repeat of the party conference is “neither advisable, necessary nor proportionate”.
After reports of alleged cheating in their CVs, the AfD had evidence submitted by all 35 AfD candidates, and the federal executive board discussed the matter on Monday evening. The results show, “with the exception of the two known cases,” that all information on professional and academic qualifications “corresponds to the truth,” explained the party leaders.
It was an internship, not a professional qualification
The European election candidates Arno Bausemer and Mary Khan-Hohloch had great doubts as to whether they had presented their CVs correctly at the party conference in Magdeburg. The AfD had required all candidates to provide information about their CVs before the vote on places on the list for the European Parliament election, such as whether they had completed vocational training or a degree. The information was shown to delegates on large screens before voting.
Bausemer had stated that he had completed vocational training; on the AfD candidates’ website he still stated that he had “completed a journalistic traineeship.” According to research by T-Online, however, his training was only a nine-month internship, which he completed during his studies at MDR and which, according to the report, is not considered a professional qualification according to MDR. When asked, Bausemer explained that he had presented his party with a training plan, training contract and volunteer certificate. He will “of course run for the European Parliament for the AfD”. When asked in the Bundestag, Chrupalla said: “Mr. Bausemer does not have a professional qualification.”
In the case of Mary Khan-Hohloch, it is about her statement that she “successfully studied religious studies and public law (Bachelor of Arts)”, as it is still said today on the AfD candidate website. Doubts about this – and about the four years of professional experience stated – had already been raised during the party conference. However, a request from a delegate to vote her out of office was quickly ironed out with the help of party co-leader Alice Weidel. Chrupalla now suggests that Khan-Hohloch was only able to provide proof of study afterwards, but did not want to confirm that this did not exist at the time of the application. The statement says: “At the time of the application speeches, no professional or study qualifications were available.” Khan-Hohloch has now provided proof of her studies. Khan-Hohloch had always denied the allegations.
The base senses nepotism
Both cases caused discontent among the AfD base. There were accusations that nepotism was being practiced here and that networks were securing lucrative positions in the EU Parliament. Khan-Hohloch’s husband Dennis Hohloch sits on the AfD federal executive board, which now decides how to proceed.
If the candidacy of Bausemer and Khan-Hohloch had been declared invalid, this would have had far-reaching consequences. According to lawyers, individual candidates cannot be exchanged, among other things because the lists of candidates are usually balanced, for example between the wings of a party. The entire list of 35 candidates would have to be re-elected. To do this, the AfD needed two full weekends in Magdeburg at the end of July and beginning of August; according to party circles, the costs amounted to several hundred thousand euros.