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.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
Source: www.stern.de
