In Braunschweig 566 delegates of the AfD have gathered for the congress. Before them, the outgoing party leader Alexander Gauland gave a speech in which he announced a "solidary generational change". He makes "room for a younger one today". The delegates are to elect a new federal executive committee at the party congress. Former chairman Jörg Meuthen is standing for re-election. Co-chair Gauland, on the other hand, wants to retire from the head of the party.
Gauland called on his party to consistently pursue its course as a "people's and small people's advocate" and to develop governance. "When green, red and dark red come together, the day will come when the weakened CDU will have only one option left: us," he said. "That means we continue on our way, without adjustment or even adjustment." He does not see the future of the AfD in an adaptation to a "rotted CDU".
Looking back over the past few years, the 78-year-old said: "We did what nobody thought was possible in 2013". The AfD had changed the country and given the people a voice that "barely dared to contradict the dissolution of our nation state in the Merkel welcome culture." In Germany, there is now a "political size, which put the German national interest before the European and Weltstaatsträumereien the green-black-red Germany abolition", said Gauland on.
Rallies and protest demonstrations planned
For Gaulands Posten candidate, among others, the parliamentarian of Saxony Tino Chrupalla, his parliamentary group colleague Gottfried Curio and the Lower Saxony state governor Dana Guth. Against Meuthen will run the Rhineland-Palatinate member of the Bundestag Nicole Höchst. MEP Guido Reil also wants to withdraw from the Federal Council (read more here).
For the party presidency also candidate Wolfgang Gedeon, who had been excluded in Baden-Württemberg after anti-Semitism charges from the parliamentary group.
The congress is held under strong security measures by the police and accompanied by demonstrations. In front of the Volkswagen Hall, in which the AFD meets, several hundred people demonstrated before the beginning of the congress. The "Volkswagen" lettering had been covered at the behest of the car company. The police had cordoned off the hall and was present with strong forces. Also water cannons were ready.
Opponents of the right-wing populist party also blocked access roads. For the two days several rallies and protest demonstrations are registered. The police expect this Saturday alone with up to 12,000 participants.
Only one day before the SPIEGEL had reported on a new party donation affair of the AfD. According to internal accounting documents, the AfD in 2013 and 2014 repeatedly violated the party law. It is about not properly declared and probably inadmissible donations totaling around 55,000 euros (read the full report).
Two applications did not make it on the agenda
At the party congress in Braunschweig, the delegates debated the agenda - and made their first substantive decisions.
In the majority of cases, two applications were not put on the agenda, which among other things had brought in a group around the Baden-Württemberg AfD member of parliament Stefan Räpple. In an application, the "Identitarian Movement", which is classified as right-wing extremist by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, should be deleted from the list of incompatibility of the AfD. The movement was "mentally on our line," said the far right.
Another application, which also did not make it on the agenda, devoted itself to the donation scandal and was indirectly directed against the burdened with donations AfD Co-Bundeschef Jörg Meuthen and the co-faction leader in the Bundestag Alice Weidel. The motion, which Räpple also justified in front of the 566 delegates, was to personally adhere to those who "intentionally force the party to punitive payments or detain them from state funds" by culpable financial conduct.