The AfD is holding its party congress on two weekends. After the first part, the head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Haldenwang, commented on the speeches. Now the continuation of the AfD party congress is scheduled for this weekend in Magdeburg – and the Federal Office will not repeat its critical assessments for the time being. The Federal Office stated that it had made this commitment “out of respect for the court”, the Cologne Administrative Court said. The AfD wants to complete its list for next year’s European elections from this Friday to Sunday.
The AfD is holding its party congress on two weekends. After the first part, the head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Haldenwang, commented on the speeches. Following the party’s complaint, a “standstill commitment” now applies.
The verdict after the first part of the AfD party congress was clear: representatives of the former more moderate camp would no longer play a role in the party, said the President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, after last weekend. “Rather, various election candidates expressed right-wing extremist conspiracy theories, such as that of the so-called ‘Great Replacement’,” says Haldenwang.
Now the continuation of the AfD party congress is scheduled for this weekend in Magdeburg – and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution will not repeat its critical assessments for the time being.
»Out of respect for the court«
In court proceedings, it had given a standstill promise to refrain from making the statements during the European election meeting this weekend, the Cologne Administrative Court announced. “The BfV is bound by this commitment,” said a spokesman. The commitment was made without acknowledging a legal obligation. The Federal Office stated that it had made this commitment “out of respect for the court”.
The dispute was preceded by Haldenwang’s critical remarks about the first elected representatives for the European elections. The AfD then filed an urgent application with the Cologne Administrative Court to refrain from doing so during the continuation of the European election meeting this weekend and beyond.
“Muzzle” for Haldenwang?
However, the court did not follow the further demand. After all, there is no longer any reason to fear a possible impairment of the party’s internal decision-making process with the conclusion of the European Election Assembly. And a possible impairment of the German decision-making process in the state elections in Bavaria and Hesse on October 8 would not be of paramount importance.
From the point of view of the AfD, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has “not only muzzled its own president, but at the same time avoided a court conviction”. After the end of the European Electoral Assembly, the expedited procedure will have to be continued in order to achieve a judicial ban on the statements. “Haldenwang is once again trying to exert political influence from his office,” criticized party chairmen Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla. With his intervention, he was moving “outside” the Basic Law, Chrupalla added.
The AfD wants to complete its list for next year’s European elections from this Friday to Sunday in Magdeburg. Last weekend, the first 15 of 30 places were determined. Subsequently, the election program will be discussed.