The main German opposition party’s candidate has been excluded from running for mayor in Ludwigshafen, an industrial city of 170,000 people in the State of Rhineland-Palatinate.
On August 5, the election committee of the town’s city council voted to ban Joachim Paul, a politician for the right-wing Alternative for Germany party (AfD) from standing for mayor in the election on September 21.
The election committee comprised seven members, current mayor Jutta Steinruck (a former Social Democratic Party, SPD, MP) and six members from other parties, including the Conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) but not the AfD itself.
The members voted with a six to one majority to exclude Paul, reportedly over doubts concerning his “loyalty to the German Constitution”. Committee members said they had followed recommendation from the State’s administration, including the State interior ministry in Mainz.
The reasons given by the interior ministry for recommending the exclusion of Paul were detailed in a July 29, 11-page-letter that was leaked in full by German news portal Nius.
They included a meeting with right-wing activist Martin Sellner, leader of the Identitarian movement, which promotes the remigration of foreigners in Germany.
Paul had allegedly warned of a “population exchange” in Ludwighafen’s Hemshof district, an area where about half the population consists of migrants and which is a hotspot for drug abuse.
Among the more curious accusations was the fact that Paul had commended the oeuvre of British fantasy author J R Tolkien, specifically The Lord of the Rings trilogy, as “especially valuable for modern Conservatism” in a newspaper article.
Paul had written: “The protagonists in The Lord of the Rings fight for a cause greater than themselves: Their homeland, the survival of their culture, a just order and the defence against a global threat.
“They are willing to risk their lives for it. Even though they freely choose this path, they feel a deep obligation to their people, their culture, and their forefathers.”
The Rhineland’s interior minister Michael Elbing (SPD) recently made headlines for banning AfD members from entering civil service in the State.
Paul, a 55-year old former history teacher, said he would try to fight the decision in court. He added: “The voters in Ludwigshafen and all those who hope for fundamental change and have linked it to voting for the AfD have been cheated of their vote today.”
He can launch a petition with the Administrative Court in Neustadt and request preliminary admission as a candidate.
If that failed, the voters in Ludwigshafen would only have the choice of one of four: A CDU candidate, a Social Democrat, a representative of left-wing fringe party Volt and another Social Democrat running as an independent.
Brussels Signal reached out to the City of Ludwigshafen for comment but had not heard back at the time of writing.
