Receiving the Fallout from Thuringia's Scandals - Alternative Freedom Party achieves progress yet suffers notable losses with Höcke
The acknowledgment: In the parliamentary sessions (district councils, city councils), the AfD increased by almost ten points when compared to 2019, standing at a preliminary 26.4 percent, edging closer to the CDU at 27.6 percent.
Notwithstanding: The foreseen upheaval in the city halls and county offices didn't occur. Specifically, it became challenging for the AfD state leader, Björn Höcke (52).
Höcke's dominance dwindling
▶︎ For five of the 18 county and mayor elections, the far-right populist failed to acquire candidates.
▶︎ In certain districts, he could only forward partyless representatives as contestants.
▶︎ In three mayoral elections (Jena, Gera, Erfurt), his candidates lost in the first round.
Defeated by rebels in the AfD
To add insult to injury: In the county council election in Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, the party ran with two entries and suffered defeat at the hands of rivals from within their own ranks. Alarmingly, the original AfD members expelled by Höcke garnered over 20 percent of the votes. The Höcke-loyal AfL members managed a meager 14 percent.
Moreover: Höcke's deputy party leader, Stefan Möller (49), also lost the mayoral race in Erfurt's state capital in the first round, trailing with 19.4 percent behind the CDU challenger (28.3 percent) and the SPD incumbent (22.7 percent) in third place.
The AfD on the offensive
Eight of 17 county councils and free city of Gera's city council, the AfD has the potential to become the strongest force. In Sonneberg district, where the AfD has been governing with a first AfD district administrator for a year, the party leads decisively. In Altenburger Land district, the AfD district administrator candidate is currently ahead.
Nine AfD nominees have advanced to the second round of elections (June 9). However, seven of them require a considerable margin for victory. CDU fares well, present in ten runoffs with a substantial lead. In Weimar and Suhl, they secured an absolute majority from the ground up. The SPD shared a speedy triumph in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district. Moreover, the party is ahead in two other county elections.
Greater clout for the AfD
Inevitably, the AfD will hold more sway in the municipalities.
▶︎ Political scientist Oliver Lembcke (University of Bochum): "This will make it increasingly difficult to differentiate them. In certain cases, they can no longer be separated." With this influence in municipal parliaments, the Brandmauer topic will "increasingly transform into a metaphor that fetters the CDU."
▶︎ The president of the Thuringian Association of Municipalities and Cities, Michael Brychcy (CDU): "If AfD representatives are elected to municipal councils, you can't pretend there's a Brandmauer." However, the CDU implements an incompatibility resolution with the AfD and the Left.
Lembcke confirms: "The AfD will incur more clout, be allowed to participate. They will be able to extort more, their proposals, their thoughts will be taken into account, and they will be able to negotiate and vote with them." He predicts that the AfD will be able to resist their exclusion more forcefully in the municipalities than before.
Regardless, Hans-Günter Henneke from the German Association of Counties (DLT) is unruffled: "For all districts and free cities, it remains applicable that there are majorities in the municipal councils beyond any cooperation with extremists."
Payment for scandal series
Lately, the party spiraled into turmoil on a federal level. The reason lies in the remarks of AfD European election candidate Maximilian Krah regarding the SS and a spy scandal entangling one of his employees. Probes are proceeding against AfD number two on the European election preliminary list, Petr Bystron, for the suspicion of bribery and money laundering.
Lembcke: "The AfD's image has suffered due to these recent events."
Finally, it is expected that the AfD's municipal representatives will exert more pressure by gaining influence in municipal decision-making bodies.
Moreover, the political scientist expects, "The Brandmauer topic will become a significant burden for the CDU." Yet, overall, Hans-Günter Henneke from the German County Association (DLT) doesn't seem perturbed: "For all districts and free cities, the majorities in the municipal councils are unaltered, avoiding any cooperation with extremists."
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Source: symclub.org
