The second strongest force in Saxony and Brandenburg, the results of 2014 more than doubled: Since the announcement of the first extrapolations last Sunday prevails at the AfD party mood. If there were not the noise from their own ranks in the smallest state.
In Bremen, exactly on that Sunday evening, the fraction of the right-wing populists burst into the citizenry. Meanwhile, the dispute is also occupying the party beyond the borders of Bremen.
It's about power, money and intrigue. At the center of the dispute are the AfD state chairman Frank Magnitz, who was known nationwide as the victim of a violent attack in January, and AFD faction leader Thomas Jürgewitz.
The dispute between the two has been pointing to for some time, on Sunday at 21:15 he escalated: In a statement announced three AFD members led by the country's chairman Magnitz their withdrawal from the five-member faction. She did not last for months.
Since then, the citizenship is the only state parliament without a right-wing populist group. However, the public dispute in the party leadership weighs much more heavily - the damage to the image has nationwide appeal.
Anger over Magnitz's dual mandate
For Jürgewitz, the culprit is clear: "The fish stinks from the head," he told the SPIEGEL, referring to party leader Magnitz. He has the party "massive damage" inflicted - and at several levels.
Since that would be the rather average performance in the state election in June. The AfD came to 6.1 percent, just 0.6 percentage points more than in 2015. Magnitz was the top candidate.
A major problem is the double mandate of the head of state: Since the state election Magnitz has two mandates, one as a member of the Bremen citizenship, another as a member of parliament. This is not only bad in the Bremer AfD, but also at the federal level. The Berlin party leadership had already demanded that he give one of them. The deadline was September 1st - Magnitz let it pass.
Magnitz became known nationwide in early January after he was attacked by unknown persons. In a press statement of the AFD was from an attack with a squared timber and other details the speech. But the story proved in parts as untrue. Later, Magnitz acknowledged that he wanted to trigger the story "medial concern". The investigations in the case were discontinued.
A dubious pickup purchase
And then there is the charge of "financial irregularities" that Jürgewitz charges against Magnitz. At the beginning of May, the board of directors decided that Magnitz could sell a pickup including a trailer on which posters could be mounted to the party. The price: 13,000 euros. But the sale dragged on. A bill demanded by the Bremen AfD treasurer Magnitz did not initially submitted, complains Jürgewitz. When Magnitz then provided a bill, there was talk of a "release" of the team. So not a sale? Asked board members.
On July 30, Magnitz transferred the € 13,000 from the party to his own account, "contrary to the Treasurer's express instructions," says Jürgewitz. Magnitz rejects the allegations and says the property was clearly transferred to the party. The chapter on buying a car shows how great the mistrust is among each other.
For the former AFD party leader Jürgewitz the end of the group has direct financial consequences. He loses his allowance as fraction leader, instead of 12,000 he gets only a good 5000 euros gross for his citizenship mandate. The party must also waive fractional funds of € 50,000 per month, as well as parliamentary rights: it can no longer make inquiries, and it also has less speaking time.
Magnitz sees the blame for his former group colleague: He had opened a "war" and "thrown mud". His suspicion: Jürgewitz plans his disempowerment. A collaboration as an opposition force had long been no longer possible. The argument also escalates verbally. About his party friend Jürgewitz Magnitz tells the SPIEGEL: "We recognize our pigs in the corridor!"
Nevertheless, Magnitz sees a way back in the group, reports the "taz" - on one condition: Jürgewitz would have to give up his mandate. He does not want to know about it. On the contrary, he hopes for an early party convention in the middle of the month, in which Magnitz is to be voted out - whether he will then take on the role of AfD chief, Jürgewitz does not want to say.
Magnitz threatens withdrawal from party office
The Federal Party ordered the counterparties to report on September 20: both of them will present their views to the members of the Executive Board - headed by the two chairmen Alexander Gauland and Jörg Meuthen - in the Federal Office. Whether the committee already makes a decision on this day is open. In a first step, they have prohibited Magnitz and his two party colleagues from using the name and logo of the party.
A letter from the federal executive states that the "deliberately induced dissolution" of the parliamentary group is regarded as "evidence of party-damaging behavior" that could lead to possible corrective measures.
The AfD tip wants to curb the Bremen chaos. A spokesman for the AfD federal party told the SPIEGEL: "The condition of the Bremer AFD is worrying." With regard to possible corrective measures, he added: "If nothing changes after September 20, the federal party will have to intervene."
That should be especially against Magnitz - after all, he has announced the group exit. Theoretically, the AFD head could use an exclusion procedure against him, but this is currently considered unlikely. For more realistic, a so-called office block is held. Concretely, that would mean that the federal executive could forbid Magnitz to serve as head of the country. A decision would then have to meet the responsible for Bremen Lower Saxony party district court.
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