(de-news.net) – The AfD has re-elected Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla as co-chairs at its Erfurt party conference while largely avoiding internal disputes. The congress also reshaped parts of the party leadership and replaced the federal treasurer. Part representatives emphasized the party’s ambition to position itself for potential participation in government following upcoming state elections in eastern Germany.
At the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party conference in Erfurt, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla were re-elected as the party’s co-chairs with 81.3% and 70.1% of delegate support, respectively, according to party figures. Compared with the previous leadership election held two years earlier, Weidel modestly improved her level of support, whereas Chrupalla experienced a decline in delegate backing. As had also been the case in 2024, neither incumbent faced a challenger, allowing both leadership votes to proceed without contested races.
In advance of the congress, the party leadership sought to limit the potential for internal divisions by concentrating proceedings primarily on elections to the party’s governing bodies. One issue that had been viewed as a possible source of significant disagreement concerned a proposal to revise the party’s incompatibility list. The motion, which was supported by, among others, Thuringia AfD leader Björn Höcke, was ultimately withdrawn before delegates would have voted on it. Responsibility for addressing the matter was instead transferred to the newly elected executive board for future consideration.
The congress also served as a platform for positioning the AfD with regard to the prospect of participating in government following this autumn’s state elections in eastern Germany. Before her reelection, Weidel argued that the party had developed into Germany’s new major popular party, pointing to membership growth from 30,000 to 75,000 over the previous three years. She further projected that total party membership would soon exceed 100,000 and maintained that the AfD was prepared to assume governmental responsibility.
New deputy chairs and treasurer mark leadership reshuffle
The party leadership was also reshaped through the election of three new deputy chairs: Katrin Ebner-Steiner, Stefan Möller, and Sven Tritschler. Möller secured 76.5% of the vote without facing an opposing candidate. Tritschler won a contested election against incumbent vice chair Kay Gottschalk, receiving 50.7% of delegate support compared with Gottschalk’s 36.1%. Ebner-Steiner completed the new leadership trio after incumbent Peter Boehringer chose not to seek reelection, thereby avoiding a contested race for the position.
The position of federal treasurer likewise changed hands during the congress. Bundestag member Hannes Gnauck defeated longtime incumbent Carsten Hütter after three rounds of voting, as neither candidate initially secured the required majority. Hütter narrowly led the first ballot, while the second round produced almost identical levels of support, with Gnauck holding a marginal advantage. In the decisive third ballot, Gnauck obtained 51.0% of the vote, securing election to the office. Hütter had served as the AfD’s federal treasurer since 2020, whereas Gnauck had previously led the now-dissolved Young Alternative (JA), the party’s former youth organization.
