Andreas Kalbitz lets himself be hugged and knocks on shoulders, without ceasing. "It's going to be easy to win, huh?" Jokes one of the long line of well-wishers. They all want to pay their respects to the AfD man from Brandenburg, who is one of the most powerful men in the party as a strip-puller for the national wing. Björn Höcke, still a figurehead, but no longer so influential, stands behind his arms crossed and looks on. The assembly leadership must ask twice that the crowd of people dissolve so that the party congress can go on.
Hauke-Christian Dittrich / DPA
Scharfmacher congratulates Scharfmacher: Björn Höcke (right) and Kalbitz
A few moments earlier, Kalbitz had been re-elected to the federal executive committee. The agitator with a 25-year career in extreme right-wing circles, who was in the sights of the Military Abschirmdienstes MAD during his military service, had won against Kay Gottschalk, calculated.
Gottschalk, previously also a board member, is one of the last loud critics of the "wing" within the AfD. In his speech he also alluded to the past of Kalbitz by talking about party membership in the far-right "Republicans". But already in the first ballot Kalbitz had more votes than he, in the run-off Kalbitz sat down with 42 votes against Gottschalk. Gottschalk competed this Sunday in Braunschweig against another "wing" representative - and lost again.
And so the "wing" classified as a suspected case by the intelligence service at this congress in Braunschweig once again shows how powerful it is. The shift to the right, which the party has been going through for months, is now visible.
Video analysis: "The party is not less right than before"
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For in addition to Gottschalk, the other critics of the Völkisch have not been elected: Georg Pazderski and Albrecht Glaser lost their posts in the federal executive, Uwe boy, who had operated the appeal against Höcke's cult leader, did not make it, just as Dana Guth. Roland Hartwig that the "moderates" belong to their camp and who is responsible for the protection of the Constitution, got no place.
Non-aggression pact with the "wing"
Although there were also defeats for the "wing" in individual personal details, but in the end, all the critics were punished. With the new party vice Stephan Brandner and the two advisers Andreas Kalbitz and Stephan Protschka explicit "Flügelianer" moved to the head of the party.
And the new party leader Tino Chrupalla, who was also at the last Kyffhauser meeting of the "wing"? He points out that he is part of the internal party platform, but once told the SPIEGEL: "I have no problem with the 'wing', do not see any differences in content between myself and Andreas Kalbitz, maybe only sometimes I express myself a little differently."
With party leader Jörg Meuthen and the new vice-president Alice Weidel the "wing" had closed non-aggression pacts for a long time, even if they reject it.
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The other new members of the federal executive committee have noticed neither at the congress nor in the past months with much criticism of the "wing" if their politicians by scandals or particularly radical statements made themselves talked about. Except for Joachim Paul, who had signed the "Appeal of the 100". The list of signatures with which more than 100 AfD politicians had criticized the personality cult of Björn Höcke at the Kyffhäusertreffen. Content criticism of statements Höckes or the "wing" but were not there.
Well organized
The success of the "wing" is also because he is much better organized. For example, the questions that were asked from the audience at Kalbitz were courtesy questions from sympathizers. And when "wing" supporters wanted to go out to smoke after Kalbitz's election, his bureau chief asked them to come right back: "We're not through yet, there are still polls from our people." Already at the delegate party meetings in the countries it was said that the "wing" had taken powerful influence and accordingly many of his people could travel to Brunswick, from SMS election recommendations and collusion is mentioned.
However, party leader Meuthen does not want to know about a "shift to the right": "He does not exist." After all, the "moderate forces" had prevailed, for example, Beatrix von Storch was also a member of the federal executive committee, he says. On the other hand, the "Flügelianer" would often have been narrowly elected. And: "The fact that the various currents are represented on a board is not an expression of a split in our party, but an expression of the wisdom of the delegates."
Others from the camp of the "moderates" see it differently, speak of defeat and concern, what this now causes the protection of the Constitution. Few, however, want to know this quoted. Except for Gottschalk, who said after his defeat against Kalbitz: "The bourgeois camp has experienced a significant setback at this party congress." And: "We are on a bad way." When asked if he still sees a place for himself in the party, he says: "Still."