AfD in NRW Continues Election Assembly Despite Federal Leadership's Criticism

Martin Vincentz, the state chairman of the AfD in North Rhine-Westphalia, has defied the party's federal leadership, including co-chair Alice Weidel, by refusing to cancel the state election assembly. The federal board had demanded the party scrap and restart the candidate list for the 2027 state election, citing alleged legal uncertainties.

Vincentz dismissed these concerns in a letter to Weidel, suggesting the leadership's actions were politically motivated rather than based on genuine legal issues. He argued that if the leadership truly believed the list was invalid, they would not be negotiating its composition. "One does not negotiate the outcome of a supposedly unlawful election," he wrote, questioning whether the concern was truly about legal security or the makeup of the list itself.

He further asserted that the federal board lacks the legal authority to halt a state assembly. Vincentz pointed out that the assembly, which commenced on July 9, was properly adjourned and scheduled to resume on July 17. He maintained that a meeting already in progress cannot be legally stopped, meaning the state board could not comply with Weidel's demand even if it wished to. The AfD leader accused the federal leadership of previous "sabotage attempts" and now using "alleged legal uncertainties" as a pretext.