Split AfD faction in the state parliament is looking for a common representative – Bavaria

There is often a lot more to a side note than meets the eye. The AfD parliamentary group in the state parliament again has a deputy parliamentary manager, a vice-PGF. Ralf Stadler from Lower Bavaria will hold the last vacant office in the future, the holder of which is not in the limelight, but is dedicated to the organization of parliamentary operations. The parliamentary group has not made much fuss about the personnel, a message can be found on Stadler’s Facebook profile.

In fact, with the new member of the parliamentary group board, a stake was rammed in the dispute between the two quarreling camps of the AfD. The election also shows that the two groups can hardly work together properly. Which in turn could soon have an impact on the entire state parliament: before Christmas, two further investigative committees will be set up, on the second main S-Bahn line in Munich and on the Nuremberg Museum of the Future. And the AfD will be the vice-chair of one committee. But that has to be chosen internally first.

But first things first: As is well known, the two camps in the AfD are in a permanent clinch – the group around the former parliamentary group leaders Katrin Ebner-Steiner and Ingo Hahn, most of whom can be attributed to the formally dissolved ethnic “wing”. And the more moderate camp under faction leader Ulrich Singer with Gerd Mannes and Franz Bergmüller as deputies. In the fall of 2021, the current leadership came to the helm and had a majority in the regular election. The situation has changed again due to a successor and resignations, including Singer’s co-group leader Christian Klingen. The current leadership is without a majority and can only count on eight of the 17 deputies; the counter bearing to nine.

Two positions on the six-member board were recently vacant, a chairman and the vice-PGF. According to the statutes, a sole boss is theoretically sufficient, while the deputy PGF must be re-elected. However, both posts must not be filled, as otherwise more than a third of all parliamentary group members would be on the board. The statute also prohibits this. The camp around Ebner-Steiner, with its narrow majority, had wanted to regain the presidency alongside Singer for some time. Last week, several MPs from this camp were absent from the meeting due to illness – and the group leadership took advantage of the moment to elect Stadler as Vice-PGF. What is now cemented until the state elections that there will be no more dual leadership. So Ebner-Steiner and her people cannot convert their majority into a leadership position.

Lower Bavarian Ralf Stadler is the new deputy parliamentary manager of the AfD parliamentary group in the state parliament.

(Photo: private)

“That was a demonstration of power by the moderates,” one hears in faction circles. Even if it is promptly said from the losing camp that Stadler’s choice was not correct at all, since Ebner-Steiner and fellow campaigners had left the hall shortly before. The meeting was not quorate because there were not enough people present. There is now an acute debate about this: To what extent can a meeting that had a quorum at the opening no longer have a quorum later? In short: no reconciliation in sight.

Greens, SPD and FDP recently presented their plans for two new committees of inquiry. The disaster at the planned railway tunnel in Munich and the financing of the technology museum in Nuremberg should be highlighted. Curiously, no one from the traffic light opposition will lead the sub-committees, not even on their behalf. The lines will (according to the distribution system according to strength) go to the CSU and the free voters, with the deputies the CSU comes into play once, once the AfD. Which committee it is for the latter determines the order in which the application is submitted – the Greens, SPD and FDP are still discussing this. Some in the AfD are already whispering about the big bang in the matter – sitting on the podium in a U-committee and being able to ask critical questions is certainly not something that can be missed in the election year. The AfD may not even be able to agree on a representative if previous and current parliamentary group leaders claim.

On the other hand, anyone who asks around directly in faction circles, in both camps, experiences a strange reluctance. This fits in with the fact that recently the AfD has apparently decided to keep the dispute under wraps as far as possible – in order not to torpedo the upward trend with another twelve percent in the BR Bayern trend through the public image of a chaos troop. Inquiries remain unanswered, others fuss around. And some take it quite calmly: U-committees need people who are fit for the subject. Eventually, a member of the Traffic Committee (moderate camp) for the trunk line or the Finance Committee (wing camp) for the museum might be unanimously appointed, depending on what comes next. So without any trouble, despite the incidents of the past week, one hears in all seriousness that one will “not scuffle” there.

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