Among newly elected AfD lawmakers in Germany are a former Stasi officer and subjects of investigations
In Germany, newly elected lawmakers from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament have come under scrutiny over their biographies, criminal proceedings and possible ties to right-wing extremist groups. The party won the state election and seeks to form the regional government.
As The Guardian reports, the 39 AfD representatives in parliament include a former officer of the East German Ministry for State Security, the Stasi, as well as a lawmaker who, according to German media, appeared in pornographic films and may have falsified educational records.
Investigations and biographies
Two lawmakers are subjects of investigations into the alleged continuation of the activities of the banned right-wing extremist organization Artgemeinschaft. This neo-pagan group espoused nationalist and antisemitic ideas. The younger politician is also suspected of violating weapons legislation, prosecutors said. Both deny the allegations.
Another lawmaker was previously convicted of stealing a large quantity of bed linen from a hotel. A court confirmed that he appeared in pornographic films after the politician challenged a local newspaper report on the matter. Die Zeit wrote that he was expelled from university for falsifying his school certificate, but the lawmaker said he was reinstated after challenging the decision in court.
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The 78-year-old former Stasi employee, who won a direct mandate in his constituency, acknowledged that he worked in the state security apparatus of communist East Germany. His work involved East German citizens seeking to leave the country permanently. His election was criticized by organizations representing victims of the former East German dictatorship.
Response from AfD leadership
An investigation by broadcaster ZDF also uncovered ties between some newly elected AfD representatives, who had belonged to the previous parliamentary group, and right-wing extremist groups. Some of them were members of the banned organization Homeland-Faithful German Youth (HDJ), and one of these politicians once led it.
Ulrich Siegmund, the leader of the AfD parliamentary group in Saxony-Anhalt, who was unanimously re-elected to the post, said the party would wait for the results of the investigations into the two lawmakers and then discuss the situation. Siegmund also faced criticism after linking arms production in Germany to the party's plans for a deportation campaign.
AfD holds 39 of the 83 seats in the state parliament, three mandates short of an absolute majority. Germany's main parties still refuse to form a coalition with AfD. After the party's victory over the weekend, protests are planned in more than 20 cities across the country.
