The Thuringian state chairman of the AfD, Stefan Möller, has called for tougher rules on the employment of relatives of party members after a wave of new accusations of nepotism against top officials.
“Unser Anspruch als AfD war immer, dass wir sauberer agieren als die anderen Parteien”” Möller told “Stern”. “Even if the positions are legal, they threaten our credibility”.
In recent weeks it emerged that several AfD members of the federal and state parliaments in Saxony‑Anhalt had hired relatives of other party MPs. Ulrich Siegmund, the state’s top candidate, is also implicated. According to Möller, “Die Über‑Kreuz‑Anstellungen sind ein Thema, das über Sachsen‑Anhalt hinausreicht”. Because of this, he believes the federal party must resolve the issue broadly – ideally by amending the party constitution at the upcoming national congress.
Möller, who has co‑led the Thuringian AfD with Björn Höcke since 2014, says a constitutional change would give states the clarity they need when hiring staff: “Dann wäre geklärt, was erlaubt ist – und was nicht”.
The AfD federal congress is scheduled for early July in Erfurt.
