AfD Parliamentarian Quits Party Over Extremist Label
MP Departs from AfD Faction - AfD's First Deputy Steps Down from Position
In a surprising move, Sieghard Knodel, an MP from Baden-Württemberg, has deserted the AfD party and its Bundestag faction following its designation as a "right-wing extremist endeavor" by the domestic security agency. Knodel's departure came three days after the agency's announcement, with the MP claiming the need to protect his professional and personal environment as his justification for the split. The Bundestag President, Julia Klöckner (CDU), was informed of Knodel's decision on Monday.
In an email obtained by ZDF, Knodel acknowledges the classified AfD's status as a regrettable but unavoidable factor in his decision. He intends to remain an independent MP within the Bundestag.
The AfD district association of Reutlingen, from where Knodel hails, expressed "astonishment and disappointment" over his exit. They argue that Knodel's rationale—the domestic security agency's designation of the AfD as right-wing extremist—is incomprehensible. The district association demands that Knodel return his Bundestag mandate so that another AfD MP may take his place.
They find the agency's classification politically charged and devoid of factual basis. The district association considers Knodel's lack of political foresight in recognizing this as unfortunate[1][2].
Knodel's breakaway from the AfD has caused anger in the district association's Facebook community, with users labeling him as a "traitor to the people," "career-driven," and "election cheat."
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persistence of AfD Faction Departures
Knodel is listed as a business economist and master mechanic for agricultural machinery on the Bundestag website. He has reportedly been the managing director of S. Knodel, a company specializing in aerial work platform sales and rentals, from 1992 to March 2025[2][3].
With Knodel's departure, the AfD faction decreases by one member, currently consisting of 151 MPs. The faction has experienced similar losses during previous legislative periods.
- Sieghard Knodel
- AfD
- Domestic Security Agency
- Bundestag
- Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
- The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany's domestic security agency, has classified the AfD as a "right-wing extremist endeavor," leading to the resignation of MP Sieghard Knodel from the party.
- Knodel, an independent MP within the Bundestag, acknowledge the classified status of the AfD as a factor in his decision to leave the party, as stated in an email obtained by ZDF.
- The AfD district association of Reutlingen, where Knodel hails from, finds the agency's classification politically charged and devoid of factual basis, and considers Knodel's lack of political foresight in recognizing this as unfortunate.
- The European Commission has also been informed of the progress of the negotiations on the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union, amid ongoing war-and-conflicts and policy-and-legislation issues in the country's politics.
- In the realm of crime-and-justice and general-news, recent reports indicate a significant increase in ATM thefts across Württemberg, prompting federal authorities to review current security measures and develop new policies to combat the rise in these offenses.
