The hope of electoral success creates harmony within the AfD
The AfD has, at least temporarily, drawn a lesson from the European election: arguing harms. Accordingly, the first day of the party conference in Essen proceeded harmoniously. When it became critical in the evening, the delegates postponed the proceedings. A narrow majority wanted to watch football.
Saturday was unusual for an AfD party conference, as much as one can say. The conference chairman was pleased at the early Saturday evening, "I believe, the Alternative for Germany has never elected a federal executive board so quickly before." And 75 minutes later: "This was certainly the most disciplined AfD party conference in eleven years."
However, it was still slightly chaotic on Saturday evening. Gereon Bollmann, President of the AfD Federal Disciplinary Court, presented his report. In the ensuing discussion, criticism poured in. The Federal Disciplinary Court was to blame for the fact that there is no AfD fraction in the Bremen city parliament. In the midst of this dispute, a delegate requested the end of the debate - as is often the case when it is controversial and tedious. A majority of the party followed the request.
Originally, the election of judges was to follow, but this agenda item was postponed - a delegate demanded that they be adjourned until the next morning, "then we can all still watch football this evening." Another delegate opposed this: rather, let's continue and go home earlier in the morning. AfD politician Bjoern Hoecke told ZDF that he had not watched football since 2014. However, he was in the minority: the electronic vote showed 53.55% in favor of the adjournment, 46.45% against. The election of judges was postponed to Sunday.
No Majority for Criticism in the "Back Room"
Strife is something the AfD cannot afford on this party conference. In September, there are three extremely important state elections for the AfD in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg. If the AfD wants to mobilize not only its existing supporters but also win new voters, it urgently needs unity - and no public disputes about whether the first and second on the European election list made a wrong choice - or if the party should have remained loyal to Maximilian Krah and Petr Bystron despite the investigations against them.
Chrupalla states the goal as governing on a state level after the September state elections. "The sun of government responsibility will rise for us in the east," he says. "We want to govern - first in the east, then in the west, then in the federal government." It is necessary for this "a united party." The long-term goal is government participation in Berlin in 2029. At least coalition-capable the party should be by then. Therefore, Chrupalla and Weidel do not pay much attention to the successful, but in essence botched European election.
There was no majority for criticism in the "back room" at the AfD party conference.
Conflicts flash at Saturdays only briefly, they do not dominate the party conference. Baden-Württemberg Bundestag deputy Christina Baum, who was a member of the federal executive board for the past two years, says, "I have always rejected compromises in the form of orders from above or backroom deals." This is clearly directed towards the party leadership. She also adds, "I am not available for a Merkelization of the party." We don't need an AfD that is tamed, obedient, and boring." Baum receives only 43% and fails to make it into the federal executive board; her opponent Marc Jongen, who is also a Bundestag deputy but now in the European Parliament and also from Baden-Württemberg, is elected instead. All six committee members are men.
It would be wrong to see the latent conflict over the taming of the AfD as a conflict line between moderates and radicals. For example, Hannes Gnauck, chief of the far-right AfD youth organization Young Alternative, beats a candidate from North Rhine-Westphalia, despite already being the third representative from Brandenburg in the executive board.
Gnauck combines radicalism and the professionalization primarily advocated by Weidel: He demands "discipline, leadership, professionalization." Weidel had said before her re-election that the AfD had undergone "professionalization" in recent years, but the party's communication "absolutely has to get better."
On this Sunday, an ordinance is to be discussed at the party conference proposing the creation of a general secretary. Weidel has publicly supported this initiative in the run-up to the party conference, as she told ntv, because it contributes to the "professionalization of the party." According to the proposal, the office of the general secretary should only exist from 2025 onwards - and only then if there is a simple party leadership. The debate on this on Sunday could be exciting.
- Despite the importance of the upcoming Brandenburg state elections, there was no major push for criticism towards the party's European election list in the "back room" during the AfD party conference.
- In the State elections in Saxony and Thuringia, similar to Brandenburg, the AfD aims to not only mobilize its existing supporters but also win new voters, making unity crucial.
- Alice Weidel, a prominent AfD politician, emphasizes the need for professionalization within the party, including the potential creation of a general secretary as outlined in an upcoming ordinance.
- Tino Chrupalla, another key figure in the AfD, shares the goal of securing government participation in Berlin by 2029, which necessitates a united party for the September state elections in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg.
