At the AfD’s BW party conference, members elected the first candidates for their state list. Co-federal chairwoman Alice Weidel secured first place on the list.
The AfD Baden-Württemberg began voting for its 25 list places for next year’s federal election at its party conference on Saturday afternoon in Ulm. As expected in advance, the first place on the list went to Alice Weidel, co-federal chairwoman of the AfD and top candidate for the federal election.
Weidel was proposed for first place on the list and won with 86.5 percent of the votes. Because of the party’s strong poll numbers, Weidel would now be guaranteed a place in the Bundestag. Second place on the list went to co-state chairman Markus Frohnmaier, who sits in the Bundestag for the Böblingen constituency. He is followed by Bundestag members Martin Hess from the Ludwigsburg constituency and Marc Bernhard from the Karlsruhe-Stadt constituency. Bernhard stood out with sharp words: If the AfD governed, Robert Habeck (Greens), Annalena Baerbock (Greens) and Olaf Scholz (SPD) would be consigned to the “dung heap of history.”
Spaniel announces departure from AfD
A total of 25 places on the list should be chosen over at least one more weekend. There are currently ten members of the AfD Baden-Württemberg sitting in the German Bundestag. A candidate for fifth place went in favor of state parliament member Ruben Rupp. The Bundestag member, former state chairman and Weidel opponent Dirk Spaniel also applied for fifth place on the list. According to SWR information, Alice Weidel’s two main opponents in the Bundestag faction, Christina Baum and Dirk Spaniel, are no longer running for a place on the state list.
Spaniel told the news portal “t-online” on Saturday evening that he wanted to quit the party. He is relieved that he no longer has to accept “the internal party messes” against him for “party reasons”. “The AfD should go this route. It won’t be mine for long,” he is quoted as saying.
SWR reporter Christian Susanka reported live from the AfD party conference in Ulm:
All-inclusive for AfD members at the party conference
Before the party conference, all-round carefree packages with snacks, bus travel, hotel and pocket money were intended to attract AfD members to the party conference in Ulm. An email that SWR received said: “To make it easier for you to attend the party conference, we have already reserved rooms and are organizing carpools.”
In addition, there is a financial incentive for everyone who goes to the party conference and votes to stay through both party conferences. The email says: “In addition, the district executive committee has decided to provide all members with a travel allowance of 50 euros per party conference in Ulm. If you need a hotel room, you can also contact us.”
Emails with election recommendations cause criticism
However, the emails were not only used to attract large numbers of participants. Hidden in them were subtle or even direct voting instructions. In addition to election recommendations for Alice Weidel, people were also asked to vote for the candidates from the district association – who are also loyal to Weidel.
Weidel’s opponents also noticed the emails and responded, among other things, with the statement “Vote cattle!” It is a questionable attempt to influence majorities – and whether this strategy will actually work is uncertain, speculates another long-time party member from the camp of Weidel’s opponents. There are also doubts as to whether such election results are legally reliable.
Demonstrations against AfD politics
On the sidelines of the party conference, around 700 demonstrators came together in Ulm on Saturday morningto demonstrate against the policies of the AfD and for diversity and human rights. The demonstration was followed by a rally at which, according to police estimates, around 2,000 people gathered. The organizer even stated the number of participants as 4,000. According to the organizers, there were even 5,000 people at a final rally. The police, on the other hand, assumed there were 2,000.
The police have closed the area around the venue for demonstrations. At midday there was another rally in downtown Ulm. Another silent protest is planned for Sunday.
Broadcast on Saturday, October 5th, 2024, 4:00 p.m., SWR1 News
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