Overview

• Deputy Sylvia Pantel, in a video on X, alleges autocratic and party-damaging conduct by Hans‑Georg Maaßen, citing repeated outreach to the AfD and disturbing social media posts.
• Pantel says Maaßen removed the elected North Rhine‑Westphalia state board and installed four loyalists, a move she describes as unlawful and vows to contest in court.
• Maaßen calls actions by parts of the board a coup, says he no longer sees a basis for trust, and states he may leave the party within two or three weeks.
• The Werteunion was founded in February 2024 to position itself between the CDU/CSU and the AfD but has recorded only about 0.2–0.6 percent in recent state elections in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg.
• Former AfD leader Jörg Meuthen joined the party in September 2024, a development critics cite in disputes over direction as the current conflict pushes the small party toward a breaking point.