Before the nomination: Otte donated 30,000 euros to the AfD

Before being nominated as the AfD candidate for the presidency, Max Otte donated at least 30,000 euros to the party. This is shown by research by NDR and WDR. Party representatives deny a connection.

According to information from WDR and NDR the previous leader of the Value Union, Max Otte, nominated by the AfD for the office of Federal President, donated at least 30,000 euros to the AfD. Otte therefore used his real name Dr. Matthias Otte donated to different branches of the AfD in spring 2020 and in January and February 2021: At the beginning of 2021, Otte twice transferred 10,000 euros to the district association of AfD federal spokesman Tino Chrupalla, of which he was chairman at the time.

Upon request, Chrupalla confirmed receipt of the donations. These were not objectionable and would be published at a later date in the Bundestag’s annual report. The AfD boss did not want to answer any further questions, but reported shortly after his confrontation WDR and NDR the dpa the WDR/NDR research. Chrupalla wrote to the authors with a smiley face: “Now, the news is otherwise old.”

Otte donation also for the NRW state association

Another donation from the CDU member Otte was received by the North Rhine-Westphalia state association in spring 2020. The still incumbent state chairman Rüdiger Lucassen arranged this himself. “It was Mr. Otte’s need to make a donation to the AfD, probably because of his affinity for the AfD,” said Lucassen when asked. He asked Otte to donate directly to the state association. Lucassen does not see a connection to Otte’s later candidacy. It is still unclear whether there were further donations from the CDU man Otte to the AfD.

Chrupalla and Lucassen for Otte candidacy

Both federal spokesman Chrupalla and AfD head of state Lucassen had particularly welcomed the nomination of the CDU man as a candidate for the office of federal president. Since the nomination, several officials in the AfD have worried that later disclosure of the donations could give the impression of bought politics. Chrupalla declined to comment. Lucassen contradicted when asked. “If you want, you can see it that way – I don’t see it that way.”

Party leader Chrupalla is said to have recently campaigned vehemently for Otte’s candidacy in a bitter internal power struggle with AfD co-boss Jörg Meuthen, who resigned last week. Meuthen and is said to have pushed through Otte’s nomination by majority vote against Meuthen’s will and with the support of the formally dissolved wing around Thuringia’s head of state Björn Höcke. At least that’s what several participants in the crucial meetings at the end of January reported.

Candidature for Meuthen exit decisive?

Lucassen confirmed “that ultimately led to the rift with Meuthen and Chrupalla”. Chrupalla is said to have received party donations in his district association from the candidate almost a year earlier WDR and NDR in the decision-making bodies, in particular the federal executive board and a committee of the heads of the federal states, have not made it clear.

Chrupalla entered the Bundestag in his Görlitz constituency in September 2021 via direct mandate. Since then he has also been one of the two faction leaders.

Lucassen is also said to have left the candidate’s party donation in favor of the NRW state association unmentioned within the party, due to the time difference and, as he says, the “small amount”. He confirmed that he had been personally connected to Otte for a long time and was in talks.

Lucassen also confirmed a meeting of the NRW state board with Otte and, among others, the Thuringian state head and wing man Björn Höcke about a year ago. At that time, however, a nomination as a candidate for the Federal President had not yet been discussed. Lucassen had known for a long time that this would happen, but initially he was not involved in the talks.

Lucassen is happy about “Coup”

After the possible nomination became known on January 23, Lucassen vehemently spoke out in favor of his candidacy in an email to members of the AfD federal executive board and the state spokesman: In it Lucassen speaks of a “coup” because the CDU did not manage to find a candidate set up, but the AfD a CDU man. “Friedrich Merz, who has just been confirmed in office, must be flushed with anger.”

Otte confirmed to him in the morning that he was available, “and that the party should ‘come to pot’. Yes, exactly that. I recommend using the media outline to generate it for our strategy and Max Otte to nominate as our presidential candidate.”

The CDU initiated party expulsion proceedings against Max Otte after Otte publicly accepted the AfD nomination as a candidate for the federal presidential election and provisionally excluded him from the CDU. Otte has since resigned from his position as chairman of the ultra-conservative Values ​​Union, which is not recognized by the CDU.