The onset of the following power clash within the AfD has commenced.
A wide coalition has politically isolated EU candidate Maximilian Krah. Nevertheless, he's pushing back and working to rally support. For the AfD, this power struggle comes at a challenging time.
Even when it seemed his political career had come to an end, Krah maintained his typical wide grin. It didn't help him this time. When Krah faced the press in Berlin on Monday, the shock was evident. The newly elected EU MPs of the AfD had just expelled him from their future delegation - him, their leading candidate.
The result was as close as possible. Eight of the 15 MPs voted against Krah, seven voted for him or abstained. Instead, the former Thuringian state MP Rene Aust, who was third on the list, was chosen to lead the negotiations on forming a faction in Brussels.
Krah labeled the decision a "mistake" and "a wrong turn." Then he flashed his signature smile again: "You know, Mr. Aust is a decent man" and will "definitely lead skillfully - hopefully also successfully." This wasn't just sarcasm. It was a declaration of war. Anyone who knows Krah knows: This tenacious fighter who fought his way to the top spot against all odds and survived numerous spy and corruption scandals will fight with every possible resource available to him.
Aust shows anxiety
Among Krah's resources are social media, which he, like few other German politicians, masters. It didn't take long for these platforms, including AfD-affiliated Telegram groups, to become flooded with statements of protest. Aust was accused of betrayal and attacked in every conceivable way. Krah also enjoys the support of some East German state associations. Not only in Saxony, where he's from, but also in Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt, party leaders and members lean towards his side.
And: Krah has the supportive fringe of the AfD, which consists of party-affiliated publications, organizations, and influencers. The right-wing "Germany Courier" and the equally extreme "Compact" magazine launched a petition under the title: "Max Krah must be a member of the AfD delegation in the European Parliament!"
Aust is now showing signs of stress. On Wednesday, he announced on X that he would make a statement, only to retract the announcement hours later. "I was asked not to participate in the public spectacle," he wrote on X. "We as a party do not need more spectacle." The majority of the comments were scathing. There's no word yet on when Aust will deliver his statement.
Aust, however, is not alone; he has the support of a broad alliance within the AfD. This group includes party chairs Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, the network of young politicians around Bundestag faction deputy Sebastian Münzenmaier, and the powerful Thuringian Association, led by Björn Höcke. Aust is one of Höcke's deputies.
Krah's provocative performance thwarts party leadership's plans
Yet why is Krah so isolated? His associates point to three primary reasons. First, Krah is now indelibly linked to the spying suspicion surrounding his employee Jian G. and the corruption allegations involving Russian connections. No one knows what other secrets might come to light.
Secondly, Krah's unpredictable and provocative demeanor threatens Weidel, Chrupalla, and Münzenmaier's efforts to professionalize the party. Critics, particularly concerns over the May event in Bavaria, are paramount. Krah drove around in a convertible sportscar, wearing a puffer jacket, holding a can of Cola Zero in his hand. Then he gave a speech between two women in traditional dresses, even though he'd promised Chrupalla and Weidel not to appear in the election campaign anymore.
This unpredictability continually challenges the unity of the AfD, marking the third reason: Krah is considered the biggest impediment to cooperation with Marine Le Pen's party in the European Parliament. After all, the right-wing faction Identity and Democracy (ID) had excommunicated the AfD just before the election with a direct reference to Krah.
However, not all in the party share this perspective. This includes Götz Kubitschek, the self-proclaimed elder statesman of the so-called New Right. He published a lengthy article predicting Aust's failure: "Aust will fail, his delegation will not be accepted into the ID faction without Krah, and by the way, Höcke will suffer damage."
By Thursday, Aust's predictions were partially validated. A spokesperson for Weidel confirmed that the ID faction would not include the AfD in their midst at least for the time being.
Krah sees a chance to seek vengeance, and he has been secretly plotting for a while to establish a new faction with the AfD as the main component. He'd rather be a ruler of a small kingdom than a minor player in a larger nation, as the party motto goes. Consequently, he's been having frequent interactions with several other parties. According to ntv reports, these include the Confederation of Freedom and Independence (Konfederacja) from Poland, the Republika from Slovakia, and Vazrazhdane from Bulgaria.
Krah openly talked about his ambitions for the first time in public. "I've been promoting this for two years and will continue to do so," he told ntv. He's referring to "taking charge of the action and forming a new faction." Simultaneously, the federal party is making efforts to create a new faction as well. According to the magazine's information, it's because time is running out: Factions must be formed by July 3 and must have at least 25 deputies from seven countries. The AfD has 15 deputies currently.
The intriguing aspect of the power struggle is that it's not driven by significant ideological contradictions. While Krah may sometimes appear market-liberal and has questionable ties with Russia and China, he doesn't differ much from Chrupalla, Höcke, or Muenzenmaier in the larger scheme of things.
However, ideological differences seem to be immaterial at this point. As per the AfD, it's everyone against everyone. On Thursday afternoon, Höcke and his co-state leader Stefan Möller released an unusually harsh statement concerning AfD relationships. "We utterly reject the campaign initiated by Maximilian Krah's supporters against our Thuringian party comrade and colleague René Aust," it read.
Even Götz Kubitschek finds the situation harder to comprehend than before. "This power struggle" is "more complex than before," he told ntv. And AfD deputy Stephan Brandner, also a Thuringian party member, seemed a little exasperated. "It would have been nicer if we could have reveled in our great electoral success in the EU election for a few more days," he said to ntv. "Unfortunately, negative headlines began appearing almost immediately."
