Overview
- About 40 voting members founded the Thuringia branch in Ilmenau and elected Carolin Lichtenheld as chair with Eric Engelhardt as deputy.
- Police reported roughly 180 people protested peacefully outside the Hotel Tanne, and the event was not disrupted.
- AfD state leader Björn Höcke attended along with other senior figures, including Bundestag members and MEP René Aust, according to party statements.
- The leadership mirrors the dissolved Junge Alternative, with Lichtenheld and Engelhardt previously serving at its helm, while the new group is designed to be more tightly integrated into the party.
- The Thuringian AfD is designated by the state intelligence office as a confirmed right‑wing extremist entity, and officials have indicated no clear moderation in the successor youth group’s rhetoric since its nationwide launch.