Höcke is poised to lead the AfD in the EU.
Following the damage done to the AfD's standing within the conservative faction ID by two of its previous leaders due to espionage scandals and Russian propaganda, Rene Aust is expected to spearhead the EU delegation and mend the "relationship gap" with European far-right groups. He is recognized as a close ally of Bjoern Hoecke.
Moving from the third position on the list to potentially the front of the AfD in Europe: The Thuringian state parliamentarian Rene Aust aspires to head the enlarged delegation of German far-right members in the European Parliament. The 37-year-old was a step behind Maximilian Krah and Petr Bystron - both of whom are now unlikely to clinch the top position due to various scandals before the election.
With a 15.9% result in the recent European election, the AfD attained its best outcome and will have 15 MEPs in the new parliament, a hike of four. Aust, who previously claimed to be a member of the SPD for 11 years, seems to be a runaway favorite for the leadership role. He has strong ties with Bjoern Hoecke, the Thuringian AfD leader. After leaving the SPD in 2013, Aust joined the AfD in 2017 and became the press spokesman for Hoecke's parliamentary office in Thuringia.
In 2019, Aust participated in the state parliamentary elections for the Schmalkalden-Meiningen II constituency, winning 24.2% of the initial votes and securing a direct mandate. Since then, he has been the European political spokesman for the Hoecke-led faction. Additionally, Aust heads the South Thuringia regional association, a stronghold of the AfD.
Committed to mending ties with ID
Born in Luedinghausen, North Rhine-Westphalia, in 1987 between the Ruhr region and Münsterland, Aust acquired his higher commercial school education. Subsequently, he pursued his studies, but briefly left and relocated abroad. Eventually, he earned a Master's degree in Geography in 2016.
Aust has evaded the scandals and public attention that have tainted Krah and Bystron. Instead, he offers a more nuanced account of his life in terms of his career. He acknowledges its challenges without concealing the formidability of his path. Aust even underscores them, stating that he lacked BAfoG (a state educational grant program) support and relied on part-time jobs at construction sites, hardware stores, and as a street cleaner to fund his education.
"I consider experiences acquired during my time outside the classroom vital. Life often demanded improvisation under pressure since not everything worked out smoothly," he asserts on his website. "This isn't a seamless life but a life of interruptions, a narrative of setbacks and hard-fought triumphs," Aust adds.
Ambitious to repair ties with ID
Improvised responses will also be necessary in the European Parliament. Negotiations with potential partners may call for such skills after the AfD's expulsion from the right-wing ID faction. Aust is confident that the party will be reinstated, using the term "relationship pause". Furthermore, Aust, if elected, will be tasked with uniting the divided delegation.
Since Aust's appearance on an AfD campaign poster a few weeks ago, he has been a familiar face on television. In these appearances, he adopted a more moderate tone than other party members, such as the party's top candidate Krah. "We want the citizens of this nation to regain control over their lives and the way they are governed," Aust stated during the election campaign, advocating for more public participation. On Sunday, he promised the AfD would approach the result "with responsibility."
On the subject of migration and social issues, Aust maintained a consistent stance within the party and shared widely-agreed-upon perspectives. Hence, he rebuked the relocation of "whole villages from Romania and Bulgaria in the social housing in Berlin and the Ruhr region." He highlighted the relevance of the theme of "social migration" in the upcoming EU. In this area, Aust participated in the AfD's social program. His forthcoming seat in the Thuringian state parliament, due for renewal on September 1, Aust plans to relinquish. "I'd like to pass the baton on cleanly," he remarked in his most recent address.
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