"Are there to dissolve us as a party ourselves"
Red cards are held up, then blue: hours long, the Afd disputes about Formalien at the List Party Conference in East Westphalia. The power struggle of the AfD is carried out not only on the Berlin stage, but also in a small conference hall in the tranquil East Westphalia.
And it is already clear that the public debate on the division of the party in NRW is likely to leave its mark on the other side of the largest AfD party band.
At the third regional election meeting in Rheda-Wiedenbrück, the life companion of the Federal President, Frauke Petry, stands with her back to the wall. If he has a defeat, Petry could also fail as their closest confidant is Pretzell.
The atmosphere is heated up. The "hypocrisy" and "annihilation campaign" are just as much talked of as "power politics" and the end of the party. Are the first two list choices in Werl and Soest at all still right, even though, according to the research of the "Stern", there have been collusion in secret chat groups? And is the current list of the first two dozen candidates valid, because five votes left in a poll were destroyed?
"We have reached a level which is really no longer possible," he says. "We are going to dissolve ourselves as a party, a small clique is here to secure itself financially." Co-Chairman Martin Renner, a party-minded opponent of Pretzell, argues more cautiously: he calls for a party in which all groups are brought together in a consensus.
By March 27th, all parties will have to submit their candidate lists to the regional election leader if they wish to compete at the regional elections on May 14th. If the AfD has to re-elect parts of the list candidates and recruit all the delegates, it could become scarce. And the regional selection manager will only switch on and weigh up when the list is available.
The events in Thuringia and Brandenburg are likely to be particularly attentive: the Thuringian AfD chairman, Björn Höcke, and the deputy Bundeschef Alexander Gauland, responded to the conditions in NRW with biting criticism. Both are opponents of Pretzell, and are likely to have targeted their attack against his wife, Frauke Petry.
According to Pretzell's assessment, "the power struggle of the federal party takes place in NRW", according to the chairman on the sidelines of the regional elections. He said to the delegates, "The entire federal executive committee would have to resign if WhatsApp groups were something forbidden, because without WhatsApp groups this board would not have been elected."
And it is already clear that the public debate on the division of the party in NRW is likely to leave its mark on the other side of the largest AfD party band.
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Red cards at the AfD regional elections in NRW. |
"Hypocrisy", "extermination campaign", "power clique policy"
At the center of the discussion about the possible tricks and mouse-riddles in a list selection for the regional election, NRW-party chairman Marcus Pretzell resists the accusations of his party-internal critics.At the third regional election meeting in Rheda-Wiedenbrück, the life companion of the Federal President, Frauke Petry, stands with her back to the wall. If he has a defeat, Petry could also fail as their closest confidant is Pretzell.
The atmosphere is heated up. The "hypocrisy" and "annihilation campaign" are just as much talked of as "power politics" and the end of the party. Are the first two list choices in Werl and Soest at all still right, even though, according to the research of the "Stern", there have been collusion in secret chat groups? And is the current list of the first two dozen candidates valid, because five votes left in a poll were destroyed?
"It really does not work anymore"
Of course, says Pretzell. Both the agreements and the votes cast are not relevant in law. Interrupted by protests and malicious laughter, Pretzell spoke of "at least beauty errors." The members of the controversial "WhatsApp" group, of whose chat about 80 pages were published, are supposed to be close to Marcus Pretzell. Pretzell himself, however, does not want to have heard of it."We have reached a level which is really no longer possible," he says. "We are going to dissolve ourselves as a party, a small clique is here to secure itself financially." Co-Chairman Martin Renner, a party-minded opponent of Pretzell, argues more cautiously: he calls for a party in which all groups are brought together in a consensus.
Controversy over everything and everything
Even after several hours, the party argues about paragraphs and new elections, about the transfer of the list and about legal hurdles. No trace of candidates and polls. Time is pressing. Because the AfD has only a few months left for the elaborate list elections.By March 27th, all parties will have to submit their candidate lists to the regional election leader if they wish to compete at the regional elections on May 14th. If the AfD has to re-elect parts of the list candidates and recruit all the delegates, it could become scarce. And the regional selection manager will only switch on and weigh up when the list is available.
"Power struggle of the federal party takes place in NRW"
A delegate draws the worst case scenario in the "FAZ": The AfD does not make a proper list in time and can not compete with the NRW parliamentary election.The events in Thuringia and Brandenburg are likely to be particularly attentive: the Thuringian AfD chairman, Björn Höcke, and the deputy Bundeschef Alexander Gauland, responded to the conditions in NRW with biting criticism. Both are opponents of Pretzell, and are likely to have targeted their attack against his wife, Frauke Petry.
According to Pretzell's assessment, "the power struggle of the federal party takes place in NRW", according to the chairman on the sidelines of the regional elections. He said to the delegates, "The entire federal executive committee would have to resign if WhatsApp groups were something forbidden, because without WhatsApp groups this board would not have been elected."
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