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2mo ago

Ludwigshafen Panel Blocks AfD’s Joachim Paul From Mayoral Ballot

Following a ministry briefing that flagged concerns over his loyalty to Germany’s constitutional order, Paul’s party has asked a court to suspend his exclusion from the mayoral ballot.

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Overview

  • The Wahlausschuss der Stadt Ludwigshafen voted by majority in early August to bar Joachim Paul from the September 21 mayoral election over doubts about his commitment to Germany’s democratic constitution.
  • The exclusion rested on a confidential Interior Ministry briefing that compiled Verfassungsschutz assessments and Paul’s public statements as evidence of questionable constitutional loyalty.
  • The AfD Landesverband Rheinland-Pfalz has filed an interim injunction at the Verwaltungsgericht Neustadt/Weinstraße to challenge the committee’s decision.
  • Four candidates—Klaus Blettner (CDU/Freie Wähler), Jens Peter Gotter (SPD), Michaela Schneider-Wettstein (Volt) and independent Martin Wegner—remain approved for the ballot.
  • Legal scholars and the Städtetag Rheinland-Pfalz stress that barring a candidate requires narrow legal grounds and meticulous, case-by-case vetting under municipal election law.