politician from AfD party defends against himself being turned down for OB candidate position
In a controversial decision, the Ludwigshafen city electoral committee has excluded AfD politician Joachim Paul from the mayoral election scheduled for September 21. The committee, chaired by the current mayor Jutta Steinruck (SPD), voted six to one to exclude Paul, citing concerns about his allegiance to Germany's constitutional order.
The decision was based on a recommendation from the Rhineland-Palatinate State Interior Ministry and a detailed 11-page letter from the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Verfassungsschutz) documenting alleged anti-constitutional tendencies, including Paul's connections to right-wing activist Martin Sellner and the Identitarian movement.
German election law requires candidates running for public office to demonstrate loyalty to the constitutional order (Verfassungstreue). Electoral committees can exclude candidates if credible evidence suggests they do not uphold constitutional principles, particularly if involvement with extremist groups or ideologies is established. However, such exclusions are rare and highly controversial, raising issues concerning democratic participation and equal treatment under the law.
Paul is challenging the decision in court, arguing that it is politically motivated and infringes on democratic rights since AfD is the second-strongest party in Ludwigshafen. The AfD state association in Rhineland-Palatinate has also filed an application for an interim injunction with the Administrative Court in Neustadt/Weinstraße.
The municipal code and the relevant administrative regulations assign the task of examining and deciding on the eligibility of candidates to the election committee. The process of excluding a candidate affects the high good of the passive right to vote, as emphasized by Lisa Diener, managing director of the State Parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate. Exclusion from an election is only possible under narrow legal conditions and requires a thorough individual examination, according to Diener.
This decision reflects a tension in German law between safeguarding democracy from extremist threats and ensuring fair electoral competition. The exclusion of a candidate for suspected constitutional disloyalty is legally grounded but also raises concerns about political opposition.
Key Points
- Joachim Paul, an AfD politician, was excluded from the mayoral election in Ludwigshafen due to doubts about his loyalty to the German Constitution.
- The decision was made on August 5, 2025, based on a recommendation from the Rhineland-Palatinate State Interior Ministry and a detailed letter from the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
- The electoral committee, chaired by the current mayor Jutta Steinruck, voted six to one to exclude Paul.
- The exclusion of a candidate requires a thorough individual examination under narrow legal conditions.
- Paul is challenging the decision in court, arguing that it is politically motivated and infringes on democratic rights.
- The mayoral election in Ludwigshafen is scheduled to take place on September 21.
- The process of excluding a candidate affects the high good of the passive right to vote.
- The Administrative Court in Neustadt/Weinstraße is involved in the mayoral election case in Ludwigshafen.
- The application for an interim injunction in the mayoral election of Ludwigshafen was filed by the AfD state association in Rhineland-Palatinate.
- This exclusion of Joachim Paul from the mayoral election in Ludwigshafen highlights the intersection of policy-and-legislation, politics, and general-news, given that it concerns employment policy within the community and the constitutional loyalty requirement for public office.
- The controversy surrounding the exclusion of AfD politician Joachim Paul from the Ludwigshafen mayoral election aligns with the discourse on war-and-conflicts and policy-and-legislation, as the decision raises questions about democratic participation and equal treatment under the law.
