Allegation of Nepotism Also Targets Lower Saxony AfD - AfD Defends Hiring of Politician's Wife Amid Nepotism Claims in Germany
The wife of Ansgar Schledde, the state leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Lower Saxony, reportedly works for an AfD member of the Bundestag, according to media reports. The party has dismissed allegations of nepotism.
The debate over the employment of relatives within the AfD has now reached Lower Saxony. According to a report by the news portal t-online, the wife of state party chairman Ansgar Schledde is employed in the office of an AfD lawmaker in the Bundestag.
In response to a query from the German Press Agency (dpa), a spokesperson for the AfD in Lower Saxony rejected the accusation of nepotism, stating that the party would not comment further. The AfD's state parliamentary group also declined to address personnel matters.
Schledde: "Legally beyond reproach"
The t-online report states that Schledde's wife is employed by Danny Meiners, an AfD Bundestag member from Lower Saxony. Both Schledde and Meiners have confirmed her employment in Meiners' parliamentary office.
Meiners told dpa that the employee was hired at the start of the legislative term "through a standard application and selection process based solely on her professional qualifications." He added that the hiring complied with all legal requirements.
The t-online report further notes that Schledde stated his wife's employment in the Bundestag was "legally beyond reproach" and that there were no cases of reciprocal hiring—meaning Schledde does not employ any of Meiners' relatives in his own office in return.
Similar cases have recently emerged in other German states, where relatives of AfD politicians have been found working for the party in different capacities. AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla acknowledged that while such contracts are legally sound and above board, they still "leave a bad taste."
Chrupalla himself has admitted to employing the wife of Saxony state lawmaker Roberto Kuhnert in his constituency offices.
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