Following a public outcry surrounding the discovery of a swastika drawn on a ballot within the Baden-Württemberg state parliament, Daniel Born, Vice President of the parliament, has resigned from his position. The Social Democratic Party (SPD) confirmed his departure on Friday, stating he had also relinquished his membership within the party’s parliamentary group.
Andreas Stoch, leader of the SPD parliamentary group, expressed his support for Born’s decision. “Daniel Born committed a serious error” Stoch stated, adding that the parliament’s reputation had been damaged. He characterized the resignation as a “consistent and correct” action.
The incident occurred during Thursday’s vote for the Upper Rhine Council, in which AfD parliamentarian Bernhard Eisenhut was a candidate. Eisenhut promptly filed a criminal complaint against an unknown perpetrator, citing charges including the use of unconstitutional symbols, insult, coercion, slander and intimidation of elected officials. The AfD party confirmed the details of the charges in a released statement.
