Uwe Detert, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) candidate for mayor of the German city of Lage, has been barred from running.
That was due to alleged concerns about his loyalty to the German Constitution and alleged affiliation with the anti-constitutional Reichsbürger movement.
The Lage electoral committee voted 6 to 4 against Derter’s eligibility. Following the decision on July 16, the German right-wing AfD announced it would appeal.
The move came amid objections raised by The Greens party group on the city council.
In a letter addressed to the City of Lage CEO, Thorsten Paulussen, The Greens urged him to examine the “personal suitability” of the AfD politician for mayor.
However, according to reports in the German press, Paulussen, who chaired the election committee, argued in favour of applying the presumption of innocence as no concerns from The Greens were backed by a definitive report.
The Greens argued that, based on the German Civil Servants Status Act, Detert could not be relied upon at all times to uphold the free democratic basic order as defined by the Basic Law relating to anyone appointed to a civil servant position.
“From the perspective of our parliamentary group, there are demonstrably serious doubts regarding Mr Detert’s personal suitability,” they wrote on July 6.
According to the party, Detert’s social media activity allegedly revealed “an ideological worldview that systematically contradicts the core values of the free democratic basic order — including the dissemination of antisemitic conspiracy theories, adherence to Reichsbürger ideology, anti-democratic rhetoric and hate speech targeting queer communities”.
In their arguments, The Greens alleged that Detert challenged the validity of the post-war Federal Republic of Germany and the fact that the current State did not have a valid Constitution.
The letter also referenced a federal government report that classified the AfD as “right-wing extremist” based on findings from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV).
This local decision coincided with broader developments in Germany, including the move by the State of Rhineland-Palatinate to bar people belonging to extremist organisations from public service positions. The list of organisations deemed incompatible with public service was expected to include the AfD.
The District Electoral Committee is scheduled to decide on the exclusion over the coming days.
The ruling would be binding and therefore be the final decision on the candidate list for the mayoral election in September.
Contacted by Brussels Signal for comment, Derter had not responded at the time of writing.
The German State of Rhineland Palatinate said it would cease to allow members of the right-wing Alternative for Germany party into the civil service. https://t.co/s4ND39LNuc
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) July 11, 2025
