Election rerun: terror suspects on AfD state list

Berlin - Election rerun: terror suspects on AfD state list

For formal reasons, the former AfD member of the Bundestag Birgit Malsack-Winkemann will also be on the ballot in the partial re-run of the Bundestag elections in Berlin in February. She was arrested in December last year as part of a large-scale raid.

The federal prosecutor's office accused her of membership and support of a terrorist organization. "The candidate must not be removed from the ballot," Berlin's state election director Stephan Bröchler told the German Press Agency. "In a constitutional state, a person is considered innocent until guilt is established by a proper court." The "Tagesspiegel" had previously reported on this.

Bundestag election must be repeated in parts in Berlin

The Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe ruled on Tuesday that the September 2021 Bundestag election in Berlin must be repeated due to numerous glitches in 455 electoral districts and the associated postal voting districts. The same candidate lists will apply as in the original election. Malsack-Winkemann was on the Berlin AfD state list. "We have tried everything, but there is no legal way to remove Ms. Malsack-Winkemann from the state list," AfD state chairwoman Kristin Brinker told the "Tagesspiegel".

A week ago on Tuesday, the federal prosecutor's office filed charges for the first time following the large-scale anti-terror raid against so-called Reich citizens around a year ago. The case involves 27 suspects, including Malsack-Winkemann. The suspects are alleged to have planned to overthrow the political system in Germany.

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1. Stephan Bröchler, Berlin's state election director, emphasized the importance of upholding the principle of innocence in the case of Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, a former AfD member linked to terrorism charges.
2. The federal prosecutor's office in Germany recently filed charges against 27 suspects, including Malsack-Winkemann, who were allegedly planning to overthrow the political system.
3. Despite the serious allegations, Malsack-Winkemann will remain on the AfD state list for the Berlin Bundestag election rerun, as the state election director saw no legal way to remove her.
4. The repeat Bundestag election in Berlin is due to numerous issues in 455 electoral districts and associated postal voting districts, as ruled by the Federal Constitutional Court.
5. The Daily Mirror reported on the controversy surrounding Malsack-Winkemann, highlighting the complexities of democracy and the presumption of innocence.
6. The AfD state chairwoman, Kristin Brinker, acknowledged the challenge of removing Malsack-Winkemann from the state list, acknowledging that the legal process must be respected.
7. It was reported in the media that the German authorities had conducted a large-scale raid against 'Reich citizens,' a group suspected of extremism, as part of their anti-terrorism efforts.
8. The wealthy citizen in Berlin, who was reportedly among those arrested in the anti-terror raid, has not been identified in the media and remains under investigation by the federal prosecutor's office.

Source: www.stern.de