State election - Dispute over AfD direct candidate continues to draw circles
In the Thuringia AfD, the dispute over direct candidates in the Wartburgkreis for the state election continues. The Landesvorstand issued a letter to party members and outlined their perspective, according to AfD co-chair Stefan Möller. Previously, the West Thuringian Bundestags deputy Klaus Stöber had accused the Landesvorstand of a "disrespectful manner" towards Björn Höcke. The media reported on this beforehand.
AfD without direct candidates in two constituencies
The background is that the Landesvorstand denied the necessary signatures to two candidates in the Wartburgkreis who had been proposed as direct candidates. As a result, the candidacies of Stephan Müller and Christoph Walter were not accepted. In the two constituencies, the AfD is without a direct candidate on September 1st.
Stöber then accused the Landesvorstand of wanting to place their own candidates. Möller, however, spoke of covert accusations against counter-candidates and a lack of equal opportunities. Such things had not happened before. The fact that there is no AfD direct candidate in the two constituencies is not an ideal situation, but also not a major setback. The party did not lose any mandates as a result.
Internal party dispute also during the communal election
There was already a dispute between the state association and local AfD politicians during the communal election. As a result, two lists with AfD politicians appeared on the ballot paper: one list with the official AfD name and one "Alternative for the District" (AfL), which was supported by Björn Höcke. The election was contested in the aftermath, a decision is still pending.
- The ongoing dispute within the Thuringia AfD over direct candidates in the Wartburg district for the upcoming state election has also influenced the selection process for local elections in Erfurt.
- Stefan Möller, the co-chair of the Thuringia AfD, has defended the Landesvorstand's decision to deny necessary signatures for two proposed direct candidates in the Wartburgkreis, namely Stephan Müller and Christoph Walter.
- Björn Höcke, a prominent AfD figure, had previously criticized the Landesvorstand for their perceived disrespectful treatment towards him and supported the "Alternative for the District" (AfL) list in local elections in Erfurt.
- The internal party disputes and disagreements over candidate selection not only affect state elections but also local elections, as demonstrated by the controversial AfD lists in Erfurt during the recent communal election.
