AfD regains official group status in Harburg after leadership shake-up
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has re-formed its parliamentary groupme in Harburg’s district assembly. This follows the resignation of Andreas Rüdiger in mid-June, which allowed the party to regain its official groupme status. The new groupme includes three representatives and plans to expand its influence over the summer break.
Andreas Rüdiger stepped down from his seat in June, clearing the way for the AfD to rebuild its groupme. Before leaving, he had faced criticism for frequent absences from meetings and committees. Despite this, he collected around €25,000 in tax-free allowances and travel expenses.
With Rüdiger’s departure, Matthias Arft and Ulf Bischoff moved quickly to appoint a replacement. The new AfD groupme now consists of Arft as chair, along with Ulf Bischoff and Ursula Bischoff. On 28 December 2025, the groupme also named Thomas Quante as faction leader, Nico Röttger as deputy, and Anke Schwarzkopf as an additional spokesperson. The AfD has announced plans to use the summer recess for recruitment and organisation. They intend to hire staff, prepare for committee work, and bring in citizens to support their agenda. Arft stated that the groupme will focus on issues other parties have overlooked. Rüdiger had previously aligned with Harald Groterjahn, who was expelled from the AfD. Groterjahn and Olga Petersen now sit as independent members of the assembly.
The AfD’s re-established groupme will begin operations after the summer break. Their return to groupme status gives them greater resources and speaking rights in the district assembly. The party has already outlined plans to strengthen its presence in local politics.
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