Hocke is bypassing the usual route to join the state legislature
In the recent Thuringia state election, the AfD triumphs as the leading force, surpassing others. Despite this success, their state leader, Björn Höcke, fails to secure a direct seat in the parliament. In the Greiz II constituency, Höcke fought against his CDU opponent, Christian Tischner, and lost by several percentage points. Höcke managed 38.9 percent, while Tischner secured an impressive 43 percent.
However, Höcke finds a loophole that grants him a position in the Erfurt parliament. As the first name on the party's state list, Höcke narrowly enters the parliament due to the AfD's decision to forgo direct candidates in two Thuringian constituencies, Wartburgkreis II/Eisenach and Wartburgkreis III. By not having candidates in these areas, the responsibility fell to the CDU for those constituencies based on first vote totals on Sunday.
If the AfD had entered these constituencies, they would likely have taken both Wartburg districts with a substantial second vote margin. The mere absence of direct AfD candidates in these constituencies might be the reason behind Höcke currently being a part of the state parliament, as the AfD may have missed drawing additional candidates due to two extra constituencies won.
Legal challenges hinder new elections
The Wartburgkreis county election committee rejected two AfD proposals for these constituencies in July. The primary reason for this rejection was that the proposals were not signed by the AfD state board, as reported by MDR. This rendered the proposals invalid, according to state election law.
The missing signature from the state board is under debate. Some speculate that Höcke used this as a tactical move to guarantee his position on the party's state list. However, other reports suggest that a power struggle between the West Thuringia and state branches may be the real cause. The local county branch aspired to nominate two candidates against the wishes of the party leadership. Höcke and the leadership refused to acknowledge the decision of the party's base, pointing to alleged formal errors. The state board's request for a new election of candidates in these two constituencies was denied by the court.
This is not the first time the Thuringian state branch has experienced such internal divisions. Prior to the spring municipal elections, there was a rift. In the end, not one, but two competing AfD lists ran against each other in the county council election.
Despite the AfD's disappointing performance in the Thuringia state election, their decision to forgo direct candidates in two constituencies in Wartburgkreis ultimately benefitted their state leader, Björn Höcke. Due to this decision, Höcke secured a seat in the Erfurt parliament as the first name on their state list, even though he lost his election in Greiz II.
Höcke's entry into the parliament sparked controversy, with some suggesting that he used the missing signature from the state board as a tactical move to guarantee his position. However, other reports point towards an internal power struggle between the West Thuringia and state branches of the AfD.
