The Alternative for Germany (AfD) parliamentary group in the German Bundestag expelled member Jan Wenzel Schmidt from its ranks on Tuesday. Reports indicate that around 80 percent of the members present voted for this step during the group meeting. The group's leadership, including Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, had requested the expulsion, justifying it with 'conduct damaging to the parliamentary group'.
The reason for this decision lies in months of internal disputes, especially within the state branch in Saxony-Anhalt. Schmidt, who served as General Secretary there, publicly accused party colleagues of 'cronyism' and spoke of a 'spoils community'. He criticized the hiring of relatives by other members of parliament, which is called 'cross-employment'.
At the same time, Schmidt himself faced serious accusations. The state executive committee accuses him, among other things, of using his mandate for private business interests and irregularities in staff appointments. An official procedure to expel him from the party is already underway against the 34-year-old. Schmidt called the expulsion from the parliamentary group wrong and emphasized that he was only acting against misconduct.
With this expulsion, the AfD parliamentary group in the Bundestag shrinks to 150 members. Schmidt thereby loses his parliamentary rights within the group but keeps his mandate as a non-affiliated member of parliament.
