AfD's nepotism scandal deepens as internal dissent grows before key elections
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is facing fresh controversy over claims of widespread nepotism within its ranks. With key elections approaching, investigations have uncovered multiple cases of party politicians hiring relatives of colleagues—or employing their own family members. Despite dismissing the accusations as exaggerated, the party now faces growing internal unease.
The allegations centre on high-profile AfD figures in Saxony-Anhalt, including lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund. Critics accuse him of favouring relatives for party roles, a charge he defends by claiming such hires are necessary due to external stigma. He argues that trusted employees are hard to find, making family members a practical choice.
The controversy has sparked backlash within the party itself. Around 150 AfD members in Saxony-Anhalt have called for an emergency conference to address the issue. Yet, despite the uproar, the party's poll numbers remain steady at nearly 40% ahead of the September 2026 state election.
Opposition lawmakers are now pushing for stricter rules to ban the employment of relatives by parliamentary colleagues. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives have seized on the scandal, accusing AfD of hypocrisy after years of positioning itself as an anti-establishment force. The party's leaders admit the practice looks bad but insist it remains legally permissible.
The nepotism claims have yet to dent AfD's electoral support, but tensions inside the party are rising. With calls for reform growing and rivals exploiting the controversy, the issue could shape the political landscape ahead of the upcoming vote. The party's defence—rooted in legal technicalities—has done little to quiet the criticism.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
