AfD Party Congress: Gauland Strikes Back

reAfD party leader Jörg Meuthen’s sensational speech at the party’s federal conference in Kalkar has drawn clear criticism from his party. In a very emotional speech, the party leader blamed party radicals for their lack of success. The times when electoral success followed electoral success are over; the successes of the AfD and even the party are “in jeopardy like never before.” Meuthen had blamed the provocative behavior and harsh word choices of people on the right.

In detail, Meuthen had distanced himself from the “lateral thinkers” movement and criticized the “Crown dictatorship” choice of words, as well as the comparison of the Infection Protection Act with the “Enabling Law” of the National Socialists. Meuthen had said it was a “trivialization of the horrible misdeeds of those dark times.” He had demanded discipline and professionalization and had criticized the “pubescent schoolchildren”, the “Politkasperle” and those “who also like to run around and roll.”

Alexander Gauland, leader of the parliamentary group in the Bundestag, was one of the first to attack Meuthen directly. The party chairman’s speech was “divisive” in parts, Gauland told the Phoenix station. Gauland himself recently spoke of a “Crown” dictatorship in the Bundestag. Now he said it was “ridiculous” if Meuthen hinted that he was questioning the constitutional order by using this term. Gauland also does not share Meuthen’s criticism of lateral thinkers. They also have “a lot of middle class people.” Meuthen makes it “too easy” for her to abuse them. With his speech, Meuthen “offended a lot of people in plenary.” Meuthen’s attack on the Bundestag faction due to unrest in the Bundestag by guests of AfD members that he “did not understand at all,” Gauland said. “We have solved this problem in the Bundestag faction and the party chairman does not have to interfere in a speech that is supposed to unite the people,” Gauland said. Meuthen Censorship “I cannot and will not accept.”

After Meuthen’s speech there was applause, but also boos. Many delegates refused to applaud. Meuthen had no idea how far he could go, even some of his FAZ supporters said. Many delegates see a movement like lateral thinking as great potential for AfD voters.

Meuthen’s attacks on Gauland were also criticized. Meuthen had taken Gauland’s enthusiasm for Reich Chancellor Otto von Bismarck as an opportunity to portray him looking back. Some in the AfD seemed to understand by being conservative “to go back to yesterday, feel at home with Bismarck and enthusiastically worship this historical figure,” Meuthen had said, alluding to Gauland, who is considered a great admirer of the Iron Chancellor. . That may be “romantic”, “but above all it is blind to the future.” Delegates described this attack as unnecessary and too extensive.

Gauland: “Too much reverence for the protection of the Constitution”

Gauland also criticized Meuthen’s appearance as “too inclined to protect the constitution.” Meuthen wants to prevent the Office for the Protection of the Constitution from declaring that the entire party is under observation. He appears to be confident that an AfD observation will be more difficult to enforce and will appear in court if the party leadership clearly distances itself from the radical statements. However, Gauland does not believe this strategy will be successful. “We have to fight the protection of the constitution,” he said.

Others accused Meuthen of indirectly providing food for the protection of the constitution. “Demand discipline, but use the stage of a federal party congress as a federal spokesperson to fight internal party opponents, and that during the period of observation announced for constitutional protection,” wrote Christoph Berndt, president of the AfD in the Brandenburg state parliament, on Twitter. Berndt is the successor to Andreas Kalbitz in the Potsdam parliament, the organizer of the right-wing national “wing” in the AfD that was dissolved by the party leadership. Kalbitz himself was expelled from the AfD at Meuthen’s instigation.

The hour-long discussion on the socio-political concept of the AfD that was adopted by the party congress was comparatively harmonious in the party congress. The party closed a programmatic gap before the 2021 federal elections. The party’s congress approved the key motion on health policy and proposals to stabilize the pension system. In the end, nearly 89 percent of the roughly 500 delegates voted for the concept. However, the application to test a basic income failed. The delegates decided not to vote on the proposal of the spokesman for social policy of the Bundestag faction, René Springer, of “citizenship money”.