AfD would take legal action against non-admission of candidates
The Thuringian AfD has announced that it will take legal action against possible rejections of candidates for local elections. "We will sue. It will be exciting," said Thuringian AfD state spokesperson Stefan Möller on the fringes of a state election meeting in Pfiffelbach (Weimarer Land district) on Saturday. In his opinion, this would lead to a public discussion that would benefit the AfD. He also expressed confidence that the AfD would win the relevant legal proceedings.
The background to this is the Thuringian Local Elections Act, according to which "anyone who does not guarantee that they will uphold the free democratic basic order as defined by the Basic Law and the state constitution at all times" cannot be elected mayor.
The Thuringian Ministry of the Interior recently sent out guidelines for municipal election committees. According to these guidelines, electoral officers should obtain information from the Office for the Protection of the Constitution without delay if they suspect extremist candidates. However, the decision to approve or not approve a candidate is then made by the election committee. Thuringia will not only elect a new state parliament next year - numerous local elections are also due to take place in May and June 2024.
The Thuringian AfD is actively preparing to sue over potential candidate rejections for the local elections, as stated by the party's state spokesperson Stefan Möller. These rejections could stem from the party members not guaranteeing their commitment to uphold the free democratic basic order as defined by the Basic Law and the state constitution at all times, as stipulated in the Thuringian Local Elections Act.
Source: www.dpa.com
