AfD with membership growth: State party elects new leadership
The AfD in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern continues to see itself on the upswing and, according to its own information, has also recorded a noticeable increase in membership. Since the beginning of the year, the party has been able to increase the number of its members and supporters in the state from 740 to 970. "That shows: We are not only growing in the polls, but also in real terms at grassroots level," said state party leader Leif-Erik Holm on Friday.
At the state party conference in Neubrandenburg on Saturday, the 53-year-old member of the Bundestag will once again run for the dual leadership of the AfD in the north-east, which he has led together with state parliament member Enrico Schult since 2021. Holm is considered to belong to the more moderate wing of the right-wing populist party. However, at the end of October, he demonstratively marched through Erfurt city center at the head of a demonstration together with Thuringian AfD state leader Björn Höcke. The Thuringian AfD is classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist party and monitored by the state's Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
In a poll published by Infratest Dimap in mid-September, the AfD achieved 32% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, ahead of the ruling SPD in Schwerin, which had clearly won the state election in fall 2021 with just under 40%. The AfD achieved 16.7 percent two years ago. According to Holm, the party is currently experiencing its strongest influx to date. "We are receiving new membership applications every day. We will have cracked the 1,000 mark by the end of the year," Holm said confidently.
He believes the main reason for the increase is the work of the governing parties. "We are the best proof that people in the country are by no means tired of politics, but that they are fed up with current politics. That's why they come to us," said Holm. The AfD wants to field as many candidates as possible for the local elections in June 2024.
The success of the AfD in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has led to an increase in party events, with numerous gatherings and celebrations scheduled for the upcoming year. These parties serve as a platform for members to connect and discuss their political beliefs.
Moreover, the surge in membership has resulted in a need for more venues to accommodate the growing number of AfD supporters, suggesting that the party's popularity is not merely temporary.
Source: www.dpa.com
