AfD District Administrator
Does he always stand up for a free and democratic basic order? Robert Stuhlmann’s suitability will be checked
AfD man Robert Stuhlmann (centre) has no fear of contact with right-wing extremists. His suitability as the new District Administrator of Sonneberg is being reviewed.
© Martin Schutt / DPA
The Thuringian AfD was classified as right-wing extremist by the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Can someone who belongs to such a party become a district administrator? This is now being checked in the Thuringian State Administration Office. The most important questions and answers about the process.
In the district of Sonneberg, the citizens have decided: The AfD politician Robert Stuhlmann is to become your new district administrator. But the lawyer and member of the state parliament belongs to the Thuringian state association of the AfD with its boss Björn Höcke, who has been classified as right-wing extremist by the state constitutional protection and is being observed. Can someone like that take on a top municipal office? That should now be checked, as Thuringia’s Interior Secretary Katharina Schenk (SPD) told the DPA news agency on Tuesday.
Do district administrators have to stand on the ground of the basic democratic order?
There is the Thuringian local election law clear: Yes, they have to, just like the mayor. The law states that “anyone who does not guarantee that they will always stand up for the free democratic basic order within the meaning of the Basic Law and the state constitution” cannot be elected district administrator. According to Schenk, this is the test standard for Stuhlmann.
Does Robert Stuhlmann have any doubts?
Yes, because his AfD state association was already classified by the Thuringian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution as secured right-wing extremist efforts in March 2021 and is being observed. In the Thuringian constitutional protection report for the year 2021 Among other things, it says: “Officials and elected representatives did not publicly oppose the extremist character of the state association and its extremist program, which has been shown to be significant in parts. Efforts to exclude extremists through internal party procedures or to encourage moderation failed to materialize.” Stuhlmann sits for the AfD as a member of the Thuringian state parliament and is an assessor on the board of the Thuringian AfD.
Schenk said that the review was a regular process and a case-by-case review. However, there must already be indications for such a test process. In the case of Stuhlmann, this is given with the classification of the Thuringian AfD by the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
How does such a check work?
The Thuringian State Administration Office is responsible – as the legal supervisory authority. It can now, among other things, obtain information from the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution or the Federal Archives in order to get an idea.
Should Stuhlmann’s candidacy have already been reviewed?
In fact, the electoral committee in the respective district must check whether the candidates for a district election meet all the necessary requirements. According to the Sonneberg district office, the election committee had decided that the AfD’s election proposal formally met the requirements. “The documents were complete and received on time. The applicant’s declaration on the question of knowing cooperation with the State Security was denied and the suitability for appointment to a civil service was declared,” said a spokesman. Schenk said that electoral committees do not usually have much time for such a review, but can contact the Office for the Protection of the Constitution to obtain information about the respective candidate.
Can citizens contest the election?
That’s fine. According to the Ministry of the Interior, anyone entitled to vote can contest the election, but parties or groups of voters are not allowed to do so. There are also time limits: there are two weeks to contest the election – from the announcement of the election results. In the case of Stuhlmann, however, an official review is now taking place. It was initially unclear when a result could be expected.
How much can Stuhlmann shape politically as District Administrator of Sonneberg?
A district administrator is the head of an authority that usually has hundreds of employees. He has to implement the resolutions of the district council, but also laws, ordinances and regulations of the state parliament and federal parliament. It has no influence on the principles of migration or energy policy, but can decide together with the district council where refugees are housed or whether and where areas for renewable energies are created. The district administrator is a kind of managing director of the district, in practice it is about the infrastructure such as roads and public transport, tourism or the renovation of schools.