Thuringia
AfD state executive wants to expel nine party members
Karlheinz Frosch is an AfD member of the state parliament in Thuringia. photo
© Martin Schutt/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
In the Thuringian district of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, two competing lists of AfD members are running in the district council elections. There is a list against the wishes of the state board led by Björn Höcke.
After quarrels due to competing The AfD state executive committee wants to exclude nine party members from AfD electoral lists for the local elections in a district in Thuringia. Exclusion proceedings had been initiated against them, a party spokesman said upon request, confirming a report by the magazine “Stern”.
“Those affected deliberately disregarded or thwarted party committee decisions,” he explained. They “submitted a list of candidates in the name of the party without authorization or made it possible for this list to be submitted.” This “blatantly violates the party’s statutes and regulations and has caused serious damage to the party,” said the spokesman. A request for party exclusion is the “logical, necessary” consequence. The Thuringian AfD regional association under its frontman Björn Höcke is observed by the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution as definitely right-wing extremist.
In the southeast Thuringian district of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, two AfD lists are competing for votes in the upcoming district council election. One centered around state parliament member Karlheinz Frosch bears the official name of the AfD, but is not supported by the AfD state association. There are 15 candidates on the list, which the regional association felt was not enough. He wanted to cancel the list and have a new election. Frosch, who is also the senior president of the state parliament, defended himself legally. Other AfD members in the southeast Thuringian district put together a new list under the name “Alternative for the District” and collected enough signatures for admission to the district council election.
On May 26th, most of the district administrators, mayors and full-time mayors will be re-elected in Thuringia, in addition to the district councils and the city and municipal councils.