The AfD intends to examine the employment of relatives of its politicians as parliamentary staff-meaning a potential cost to taxpayers. First parliamentary manager of the AfD parliamentary group, Bernd Baumann, said on the German television channel “Welt” that his party had complied with “all legal regulations”. Still, he insisted that investigations at state and federal level would be pursued, saying, “We will look into it, we will investigate it”.
Baumann did not rule out tightening internal rules. He cited the CSU’s situation in 2013, when 79 state legislators had employed first‑degree relatives. After that the CSU “strengthened its own rules” and the AfD might consider doing the same. The politician added that investigations would not focus on whether a relative is hired per se, but rather on whether laws are observed and that the employees deliver results. “If they do their job, that’s acceptable” he said, but added that the situation must not take over.
He justified the hiring of Ulrich Siegmund, the father of the AfD’s top candidate for the Saxony‑Anhalt state election, as staff in the office of AfD Bundestag member Thomas Korell. Baumann pointed out his party’s difficulty attracting qualified personnel: of its 200 part‑time and full‑time positions, the AfD parliamentary group can currently fill only 71. He claimed serious recruitment problems because the climate is poisoned by opponents; applicants fear including “AfD” on their resume. Moreover, parliamentary staff must be trustworthy to avoid infiltration by left‑wing radicals. “That’s why the office is sometimes occupied by familiar people” Baumann said.
