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AfD chief Meuthen does not want to stand in the next federal election. This escapes a vote against the leader of the Weidel parliamentary group. But that shouldn’t be the only reason.
By Martin Schmidt, ARD capital studio
He took his time with the decision until the end. The Berlin rumors about Jörg Meuthen had been around for a long time. Closer to the party itself, more media attention: hardly anyone doubted that the AfD co-party leader would try to move from Brussels to Berlin in the next federal election campaign. In the morning, Meuthen put an end to the rumors.
In a members’ newsletter, he wrote that he could not satisfy the wishes of many AfD members to continue his political work in the Bundestag rather than in the European Parliament. “The main factor behind this decision is my conviction that I can currently serve the party more in my current term in the EP (European Parliament) than by moving to Berlin,” Meuthen said.
Not a sure hit
The fact that a candidacy was not a sure success within the party will also have played an important role in their decision. In her regional association, parliamentary group leader Alice Weidel has been at the top since the beginning of the year. She claims first place on the list for the federal elections.
A fight vote would not have been very promising for Meuthen, as his entourage has already admitted in recent weeks. And after some talks at the regional association, Meuthen should have noticed that he himself would not be sure of a place behind. The relationship between Weidel and Meuthen is so disturbed after public disputes that Weidel reportedly tried to prevent his party leader from running for the Bundestag along the line.
Others are waiting for their chance
Time and time again, his supporters have brought other regional associations into play, to which Meuthen could have quickly switched. But others are already waiting there for their opportunity. Predictably, enthusiasm for resigning a Bundestag term for Meuthen was limited. Furthermore, such an electoral escape would not have looked good anyway.
Meuthen’s decision now has a big advantage: he doesn’t have to make any more decisions. Especially the supporters of the far-right “wing” of the AfD are waiting for that opportunity to take revenge on him. At the beginning of the year it was Meuthen who increased the pressure on the flow of the radical party in the federal executive committee. It was then officially disbanded, even if the network behind it continues to function.
And the “poultry,” as some of Meuthen’s supporters contemptuously call friends of the party, had to take even more. With Andreas Kalbitz, the federal board expels one of its party leaders, due to far-right references in his past. Furthermore, the AfD state arbitration court in Saxony-Anhalt has deprived the influential official of the “wing” Frank Pasemann of membership rights. Both would have been unthinkable for a long time.
It seems that the more moderate right-wing populists have been better organized for the first time in a kind of counter-network, with the party’s spokesman, Meuthen, as the leader. For a few weeks now, people around him have been happy to point out that he accomplished all of this from Brussels. Why would a move to Berlin bring you even more influence in the AfD?
The “wing” needle punctures
Meanwhile, however, the “wing” is also doing its own punctures. The election of Jens Kestner as head of state of the AfD in Lower Saxony, for example. Björn Höcke, the head of the remaining “wing”, was on his way from Thuringia in the great Western association for the party’s internal election campaign. Former starter Dana Guth of the Meuthen field had to admit defeat. Disillusioned by the defeat, she left the AfD parliamentary group shortly after with two other deputies. As a result, it loses its status as a parliamentary group, which includes a lot of money and political influence.
In the evening, the AfD federal executive meets for a special meeting. It cannot be ruled out that a process of expulsion from the match against Guth will be initiated due to the dissolution of the faction. The talks continue to the end, perhaps to bring the parliamentary group back together, but that appears to be stalled. “They are stubborn,” say those who have been talking to them on the phone for days. Some AfDlers also hold Meuthen himself responsible for the “mess” behind closed doors. He was at the party convention in Lower Saxony, spoke briefly, but then had to appear on NRW. “He should have felt that mood against Guth and he should stick with it,” says one. Meuthen’s co-federal spokesman Tino Chrupalla was there, too, all day. He supported Kestner.
And there is even more “wing” anger: also in Schleswig-Holstein, the AfD recently lost its status as a parliamentary group in the state parliament after a member declared his departure. In Bavaria, the parliamentary group is so divided that a withdrawal had to be interrupted because MPs could not agree on an agenda. Disputes between radicals and more moderate AfDs are decisive everywhere.
Meuthen, the fireman?
As a firefighter, Meuthen can only put out a fire, people around him say. Actually, he should currently fight ten at a time. Also, the scramble for a spot on the list would have been too much for Meuthen. Therefore, the decision should be the right one for him. However, you have to accept that your internal party opponents will also interpret the move as a successful defense.
Co-spokesperson Chrupalla is publicly suppressing himself today: “Jörg Meuthen is one of our most famous faces in Brussels and it is important that he stay with us there,” he says. He is said to be interested in leading the new parliamentary group together with Weidel in the future if Alexander Gauland is no longer available.
