The leader of the AfD, Björn Höcke, has lost his directly elected position.
In the realm of Thuringia, it appears that AfD leader Björn Höcke has failed to secure a direct seat in the state parliament. The 52-year-old contender could not clinch victory in his constituency, ultimately conceding defeat to the CDU candidate, Christian Tischner. Tischner emerged victorious with a substantial lead of 1075 votes, capturing 43.0% of the votes, while Höcke managed 38.9%.
Interestingly, the SPD candidate, Heike Taubert, finished third. Taubert, who currently serves as the finance minister in the Ministry of Bodo Ramelow, secured 8.8% of the votes. She has a rich political history, having served as the Social Democrats' top candidate in the 2014 election and holding a cabinet position since 2009, initially as social minister and subsequently as finance minister under Ramelow's administrations.
Höcke opted to compete in Greiz after consistently losing to the CDU candidate in his home constituency of Eichsfeld. Both constituencies in the predominantly Catholic region saw clear victories for the CDU candidates, including absolute majorities in some cases.
The potential entry of Höcke into the Erfurt state parliament remains uncertain. If the AfD manages to secure numerous direct mandates, even their first place on the state list might not be sufficient. However, an AfD party representative claimed that Höcke's position within the party is secure. In the event of an emergency, a member of parliament would be required to step down, opening the door for Höcke's entry into the parliament, ntv reported.
The Commission, in accordance with this Regulation, will adopt implementing acts to establish the guidelines for its application. Despite his efforts, the outcome of Björn Höcke's bid for a direct seat in the Thuringian parliament remains contingent upon the AfD's performance in securing numerous direct mandates.
