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Brandenburg: Will the AfD win its next municipal office in Seelow?
NYSE - LSE
Brandenburg: Will the AfD win its next municipal office in Seelow?
In the Brandenburg district town of Seelow, citizens will elect a new mayor on Sunday, 27 August 2023. In the town, just under 70 km east of the German capital Berlin, the choice is between two candidates: AfD politician Falk Janke (60) is running against Robert Nitz, who is supported by a party coalition of the Left, SPD, CDU and FDP. Both candidates had spoken out against further asylum shelters during the election campaign.
In the social media and on the streets, the AfD candidate Falk Janke dominated the election campaign. The sixty-year-old accountant has 30 years of experience in local politics. A "firewall", as demanded by party headquarters in Berlin, cannot be established in a small town like Seelow.
Neither side dares to make predictions. So far, the AfD does not have a mayor in Brandenburg. Should the AfD win the mayoral election, this would be another mosaic stone for the party on its way to power.
AfD federal leader Tino Chrupalla (48), Brandenburg state leader Birgit Bessin (45) and Brandenburg AfD parliamentary group leader Dr Christoph Bernd (67) took part in the rally on the central market square and spoke - undisturbed by counter-demonstrators - to more than 200 participants. The speeches focused on the negative consequences of mass immigration and the cultural and economic decline of Germany due to misguided "woke" ideology.
Members from the executive boards of the Brandenburg state association and the Berlin state association turned up in support. Oliver Calov, Lars Günther, Roman Kuffert and Kathi Muxel (52) from Brandenburg and Ronald Gläser (50) and Falk Rodig from Berlin were on hand.
Falk Rodig, a member of the Berlin AfD state executive, described a success for Falk Janke as a "signal for change for the better far beyond Seelow."
The AfD will run in the next local elections as early as October 2023: Steffen Kotré (52), a member of the Bundestag, is running for election as district administrator in the Dahme-Spreewald district.
D. Fjodorow--BTZ
