“Feeling of pure disgust”
AfD member of the Bundestag Seitz leaves the party
March 31, 2024, 5:16 p.m
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The AfD federal representative Thomas Seitz is turning his back on the party and parliamentary group with immediate effect. In his farewell statement he speaks of a feeling of “pure disgust.” However, by this he does not mean the shift to the right, but rather a chaotic special party conference of his state association.
The Baden-Württemberg AfD member of the Bundestag Thomas Seitz has announced his resignation from the party and parliamentary group. Seitz announced on his website and social media channels that he would be leaving effective March 31st. He was expressly not interested in a shift to the right in the AfD, he said about the reasons for his move. He struggled with what the party had developed into and spoke of a “system of favoritism.” The decisive factor for the withdrawal was the AfD’s special party conference in Baden-Württemberg at the end of February.
During the party conference he had already felt the urgent need to resign from the party immediately, but had put this off for weeks and was still torn inside. “But the prevailing feeling is still that of pure disgust for my own party, which I have been supporting for 10 years,” said Seitz.
The AfD Baden-Württemberg party conference on February 24th and 25th in Rottweil was characterized by chaos and tumult. A power struggle between two camps is raging in the regional association. The board members argued openly about whether the event could be held. There were not enough seats available in the hall. There were tumultuous scenes in the town hall, boos and even a kind of mutton jump: everyone present had to leave the hall again in order to sort out those who were not entitled to vote.
As if nothing had happened, a second party conference was held to vote and change the statutes, said Seitz. The leadership duo – Bundestag member Markus Frohnmaier and state parliament member Emil Sätze, both representatives of the camp around AfD leader Alice Weidel – were able to hold their own in office in the election. In his statement, Seitz speaks of a “coup by the chairmen.”
With his departure, the AfD parliamentary group still has 77 members. It started after the 2021 federal election with 82 elected officials. Several politicians have now left the group for various reasons. Seitz emphasized that he would continue to fulfill his mandate as a non-attached MP.