The AfD has been in the crossfire for weeks. Suspected connections to pro-Russian networks, suspicion of Chinese espionage – a disaster for the party before the European elections.
Posters, election advertising, bratwurst stands and the most fiery stage performances possible – the European election campaign is imminent and the parties are warming up. At the AfD, however, the cart is stuck before it can really get going: the party’s real driving force for the election campaign, Maximlian Krah, is supposed to keep his head down for now because one of his employees is in custody for suspected Chinese espionage. In the case of Krah himself, the public prosecutor’s office is checking whether it should investigate possible connections to Russia and China.
The AfD leadership hasn’t completely taken him out of the race, but he shouldn’t be at the forefront either. No posters, no videos and only limited showtime on the campaign stage. How is that actually supposed to work?
Representatives even in high party circles shrugged their shoulders. It is clear that the two party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla will not be seen side by side with Krah at the AfD’s election campaign launch in Donaueschingen on Saturday. Contrary to the original plan, the Saxon is not there. “In order not to burden the election campaign or the reputation of the party,” as Weidel and Chrupalla said. What comes next is unclear.
Krah can probably play the home game in Dresden
The calendar is currently being adjusted, Krah told the dpa. “Dresden, May 1st. That’s it,” he added. He will probably be able to play at least his home game. This was also confirmed by Chrupalla, who, according to his own statements, will also be in Dresden on May 1st – “with a time delay,” as he added. So a little bit of distance, but not quite. There was initially no information about other possible Krah dates.
A lot is in flux. There is great excitement about the spying allegations in the AfD. In grassroots chat groups there are demands to rally behind the top candidate and not to distance oneself from him, one could hear from party circles – the famous wagon castle mentality. Krah sees himself unfairly in the negative spotlight. He wrote on “So we are still in the realm of conjecture and insinuation.”
Open criticism of party leaders
Critical party members such as the AfD MEP Sylvia Limmer, on the other hand, openly attacked the AfD leaders Weidel and Chrupalla: “You duck away and don’t take political responsibility,” she said on Deutschlandfunk. Krah’s positions are well known, he has always expressed himself pro-China and has always been massively pro-Russian. “It’s like Hempels, what they sweep under the rug. I’m just afraid there won’t be a rug big enough to sweep it all under.”
Nicolaus Fest, also an AfD member of the EU Parliament, mentioned a video by Krah in the RTL “Nachtjournal” on the 70th birthday of the Chinese Communist Party and accused him of always voting pro-Chinese in votes in the European Parliament. “Why would you do something like that? Certainly not for ideological reasons. Not for reasons of philanthropy either – then there won’t be so much left.” Weidel and Chrupalla ignored warnings and were repeatedly told “that Mr. Krah, let me put it this way, is a dud that can go off at any time.”
Why do Weidel and Chrupalla stick with Krah?
There is also speculation behind closed doors in the AfD about why Weidel and Chrupalla campaigned for Krah when he was elected last summer and why they are now sticking with him. Does Krah possibly have incriminating knowledge? In a Bundestag debate, Green Party deputy Konstantin von Notz said: “The fish stinks from the head, namely from the head of the AfD’s federal executive board.”
Top candidate is not a formal position
It is not legally possible to change the list of candidates for the European elections now. However, it would be very possible to remove Krah as the top candidate, said political scientist Florian Grotz to the portal “The Pioneer”. The term top candidate is not a term defined under electoral law. “Theoretically, the party could also center its election campaign on a person who is in fifth place on the list.”
A top candidate is actually not a formal position. Parties choose lists of candidates with whom they will run in an election. The further down the list someone is, the worse their chances of entering parliament become – depending on the election results. So whoever is at number one on the list is definitely in it.
Saxony-AfD wants posters with Krah
The Saxony AfD is opposed to the fact that the Dresden Krah should now be hidden. “The Pioneer” quoted from high-ranking Saxon party circles: “We will not lock the top candidate away in a poison cabinet. Of course we will campaign with Max and also put up posters for him.” This position was confirmed to the German Press Agency. The mood in West German regional associations is likely to be different.
Experts disagree about the impact of the affair
The political scientist Grotz considers the China scandal to be “perhaps the most critical phase for the AfD since 2020, when the party initially did not know how to deal with Corona.” The head of the polling institute Forsa, Manfred Güllner, expects approval for the party to decline. “I don’t expect the AfD to make a breakthrough in the European elections, it will be a mediocre result,” he told the “Tagesspiegel” (Friday). In the 2019 European elections it achieved 11 percent, and in recent polls it was between 15 and 19 percent.
The Darmstadt political scientist Christian Stecker, on the other hand, does not expect the AfD to suffer any relevant damage in the European elections because of the China affair. The AfD offers a large projection surface – among other things for citizens who are very dissatisfied with the traffic light coalition, he told the dpa. In addition, the allegations are likely to be less serious in the values of the AfD’s core electorate than among supporters of other parties.