Both camps in Lower Saxony's AfD had drummed to an exchange of blows at an extraordinary party congress.
In the end, the meeting was canceled due to overcrowding.
Braunschweig - Actually, at the extraordinary state party conference of the Lower Saxony AfD * in Braunschweig, an exchange of blows between the two blocks of the party was imminent.
Because, under Corona conditions, not all party members who had traveled were allowed into the hall, the AfD had to break off the party congress and end it prematurely.
A continuation was not possible on Saturday.
It was initially unclear whether there would be a second attempt at the special party conference and how the power struggle in the party would continue.
The party congress was accompanied by counter-demonstrations.
AfD party conference in Lower Saxony: Ordnungsamt insists on enforcing the Corona requirements
649 party members were in the hall at the start of the party congress, 14 were waiting outside.
Since no voting members could be excluded, the meeting chairman decided to break off the party congress and end it.
Since the local regulatory office insisted on enforcing the Corona requirements, the AfD had initially sent all journalists outside.
But there were still too many people in the hall.
While other parties invite a fixed number of delegates to the party congresses, the AfD welcomes all members.
It is therefore difficult to estimate how many participants will come to a party congress.
AfD party conference in Lower Saxony canceled: boos for speech by federal spokesman Chrupalla
For the party convention, which was convened by district councils bypassing the state council, there were requests to vote against AfD state chief Jens Kestner and three other board members. Moderate forces in the party defended themselves against the attempt of the right-wing camp around Kestner to repeat the candidate list for the federal election because of alleged formal errors. The right camp had lost out on the lineup. Both Kestner and the former regional chief Armin-Paul Hampel would have no prospect of a return to the Bundestag.
At the start of the party congress, AfD spokesman Tino Chrupalla warned the members present to be united and to resolve the problems quickly.
“Don't look back, you have to look ahead, pull yourself together, draw up a legally secure list, we need Lower Saxony.” There are only two camps in the party, a destructive and a constructive one.
Parts of the hall responded with loud boos to Chrupalla's speech.
AfD party conference in Lower Saxony: time is running out - federal election on September 26, 2021
Kestner warned that discussions about problems must be constructive, not destructive.
“This is not an everyday party convention when requests for voting out are made here.” The camp dispute in Lower Saxony began at the state party congress in August, when Kestner had wrested the state chairmanship from the previous chairwoman, Dana Guth, who was assigned to the moderate camp.
There is not much time left in the dispute over the list of candidates for the federal election.
By July 19 at the latest, the regional election committee must have clarity about the list presented.
The state executive actually wanted to push through a new list at the special party conference, or at least a new election for individual list places.
Otherwise there is a risk that the electoral list will simply be declared invalid.
(dpa / cibo)