Overview
- Wahlausschüsse have so far barred five AfD candidates from direct mayor or Landrat ballots, allowed nine to stand and left four cases pending, a tally made public on July 31.
- The checks apply only to direct elections because mayors and Landräte become temporary civil servants who must guarantee commitment to the free democratic order, officials say.
- A reform passed at the end of April lets local committees ask the Kommunalaufsicht to request information from the Verfassungsschutz, while the Wahlausschuss retains the final decision on admission.
- The AfD calls the exclusions a 'backdoor party ban' and has announced lawsuits, but administrative courts typically reject urgent appeals and push contestation to post-election challenges that can lead to annulments or reruns.
- Wahlausschüsse are made up of the election officer and party-nominated members, raising questions about peer review and evidence standards, and legal scholars say party membership alone is not enough to bar a candidate.