The AfD Bundestag caucus has expelled MP Jan Wenzel Schmidt from its group, a decision announced Tuesday on the sidelines of the caucus meeting.
According to attendees, the motion secured nearly 100 votes in favour, with roughly a dozen votes against and several abstentions. An exclusion requires a two‑thirds majority, a threshold that was far exceeded.
Schmidt had earlier suggested suspending his caucus membership until the summer recess, a proposal that apparently failed to convince his colleagues. The expulsion follows a prior party‑expulsion procedure by the AfD state board in Saxony‑Anhalt, where Schmidt had served as general secretary, sat in the state parliament and secured a direct mandate in the 2025 federal election.
He has faced numerous accusations, including alleged business dealings with China and possible irregularities in the hiring of staff. Schmidt rejected these claims and counter‑accused a leadership group of the AfD state board in Saxony‑Anhalt of nepotism.
