Political shift in Chemnitz: AfD gains supporters amid party division
The Chemnitz city council has resumed operations following a protracted deadlock caused by a split within the Alternative for Germany (AfD) faction. The council, which had been in a standstill for weeks, held a special session on Monday to fill its committees and advisory boards.
The split within the AfD, the strongest force in the 2024 local elections, resulted from an internal dispute. Faction leader Nico Köhler accused members of the council faction of abuse of office. This led to one of the three members of the 'old' AfD faction leaving the party weeks ago, leading to a debate about whether the faction was dissolved. However, the administrative court disagreed with the mayor's assessment on the matter.
As a result of the split, the AfD is now represented by two groups: the 'AfD city council fraction' with three members and the 'AfD city council fraction Chemnitz' with twelve members. The city council has increased the size of the specialist committees from 13 to 15 members to avoid losing a seat and to limit the AfD's influence. Consequently, both AfD representations will now send three members each to the specialist committees.
The increase in the number of AfD factions may lead to staffing consequences. The total annual budget for the city council must now be divided among eight factions instead of seven, due to the two AfD factions. The other factions can expect cuts of around 6,000 euros each for the coming year, which will particularly affect the smaller ones.
The AfD-induced chaos in the Chemnitz city council may once again end up in court if no resolution is found. If concessions from the administration are not made, the municipal oversight authority may be involved. The conflict has already resulted in a significant extension of the summer break for the city council.
It's worth noting that there are precedents in Saxony's municipal politics for the split of a faction. For instance, the split of the Left faction in the Dresden city council after the Woba privatization in 2007.
The SPD avoided losing a seat, the CDU gained one, and the AfD's influence remains roughly the same due to the committee size increase. The two AfD factions will receive 181,000 euros, nearly 37,000 euros more than before.
The member of the Chemnitz city council who left the AfD and caused the founding of the new AfD faction is not identified in the provided search results. The consequences for council work remained unclear for a long time, with initial considerations not to recognize the new AfD faction. However, both AfD representations were eventually recognized.
The Chemnitz city council has resumed its operations, marking a significant step towards resolving the internal conflicts and moving forward with council work.
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