Several newly elected lawmakers from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt have come under scrutiny over controversial backgrounds, following the party’s landslide victory in the eastern German state.
Among the 39 AfD representatives set to enter the state parliament are a former officer of East Germany’s secret police, a man convicted of theft who has acknowledged involvement in pornographic productions, and candidates investigated over possible links to far-right and neo-Nazi organisations.
Particular attention has focused on two newly elected lawmakers who are being investigated over a possible attempt to continue the activities of Artgemeinschaft, a banned far-right organisation with neo-pagan, nationalist and antisemitic references.
According to prosecutors, one of the two has also been investigated over possible offences related to the possession or use of weapons. Both men deny the allegations.
A report by German public broadcaster ZDF also found that some members of the AfD’s new parliamentary group, who had also served during the previous legislative period, had links to far-right organisations.
Among them are figures who had taken part in activities of the Heimattreue Deutsche Jugend (HDJ), an organisation later banned by German authorities. In one case, a politician was reportedly involved in leading the group.
Also under scrutiny is an adviser to the AfD parliamentary group who wrote a biography that has been described as a “tribute to National Socialism”.
From the Stasi to the AfD
The election of a 78-year-old former Stasi officer has also drawn attention after he won a direct mandate in his constituency.
He has acknowledged working for the Ministry for State Security of communist East Germany, where his duties included monitoring citizens who wanted to permanently leave the country.
His presence in the new parliament has prompted reactions from organisations representing victims of the former East German dictatorship.
Former porn actor with legal troubles
Another controversial figure in the new AfD parliamentary group is Philipp-Anders Rau.
Rau has faced legal issues, with a court ruling in favour of a newspaper report that said he had worked as an actor in pornographic films. He has also been convicted of theft and expelled from university after forging a secondary school diploma.
In the past, he appeared alongside Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago as a far-right activist.
The “bad ones” in the new parliamentary group
AfD’s leader in Saxony-Anhalt, Ulrich Siegmund, who was unanimously re-elected as head of the parliamentary group, was asked to comment on the controversial backgrounds of the new lawmakers.
Referring sarcastically to the two politicians under criminal investigation, he described them as “the bad ones” and said the party would wait for the investigations to be completed before making substantive comments.
The newly elected group also includes politicians with pro-Russian links and figures who have visited representatives of the MAGA movement in Washington.
Coalition partner remains uncertain
Despite AfD’s sweeping success, the far-right party failed to secure an outright majority, leaving government formation in Saxony-Anhalt uncertain.
With traditional parties ruling out any cooperation with AfD, which has been classified as an extremist neo-Nazi organisation by Germany’s highest court, only Sahra Wagenknecht’s BSW currently appears as a possible coalition partner.
A second scenario would involve lawmakers leaving the parties under which they were elected and joining Siegmund’s government proposal.
