Voted out by the state parliament
AfD politician Siegmund loses office after Potsdam meeting
February 21, 2024, 12:12 p.m
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The fact that he was there does not mean that he shares the positions represented there. The state parliament in Magdeburg does not follow this view and deprives the AfD politician of the chairmanship of a state parliament committee.
The state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt has dismissed AfD politician Ulrich Siegmund as chairman of the social committee after his participation in a meeting of radical right-wing circles in Potsdam. 71 members of parliament in Magdeburg voted for the recall. There were 21 no votes. This achieved the necessary two-thirds majority.
Siegmund came under criticism after the meeting in Potsdam. The AfD co-parliamentary group leader stated that he was there as a private individual. Other AfD politicians as well as individual members of the CDU and the very conservative Values Union also took part. The former head of the right-wing extremist Identitarian Movement in Austria, Martin Sellner, said he spoke there about “remigration”.
When right-wing extremists use the term, they usually mean that large numbers of people of foreign origin should leave the country – even under duress. Siegmund explained that he saw no reason at all to give up his position as chairman of the social committee. Just because he’s sitting in a room listening to a lecture doesn’t mean he agrees with what’s being said.
Siegmund may not be appointed committee chairman again by his parliamentary group in this legislative period. AfD co-parliamentary group leader Oliver Kirchner announced a reshuffle in the Social Committee after the voting results were announced. AfD politician Hans-Thomas Tillschneider is to become the new chairman of the social committee responsible for integration.