In a battle vote, AfD Lower Saxony elected its longtime chairman, Paul Hampel, from office. His adversary Dana Guth will henceforth take over top of National association. During vote at party congress in Braunschweig, chairman of AfD Landtag group, with 521 votes against Hampel, prevailed. The latter received 280 of votes cast and did not want to take up position of Vice-Chairman after his defeat.
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The 47-year-old Guth is regarded as most profiled adversary of Hampel in disputed Lower Saxon National association. There, opponents and followers of 60-year-old Hampel had been arguing so fiercely that party’s head of state in January had disemergency Boardd entire provincial board and had set up a council of governors. This emergency board had used an auditor to investigate finances of National Association. Hampel is accused by his party-internal adversaries of having an opaque deal with finances. Hampel had always denied accusations.
Prior to current election, auditor had announced that he had discovered significant irregularities in settlement of former AfD. According to his own data, he found numerous inconsistencies in books. For years 2013 to 2017 re were expenditures totalling 27,333 euros without receipts or invoices, said federal auditor Christian Waldheim at Country Party congress. “I would not have given board members a recommendation on discharge for se years.”
In many cases, cost of accommodation and entertainment was raised at a four-digit rate, without need for financially effective decisions of board, said Waldheim. On several occasions Hampel travel expenses-advances were paid out in a substantial amount – also without a board decision, accusation said. After country’s peak in 2016 approved amount of 2,000 euros for purchase of a truck for a roadshow, a lorry had been purchased for 14,000 euros.
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Hampel denied accusations. All accounts were correct. There was a decision that state Treasurer and Chairman would have been allowed to spend up to 3,000 euros without a draft decision. “If you can’t take someone politically, you do it over finances,” he said, looking at his party-internal opponents. Hampel had also always accused m of a dictatorial style of leadership.
Guth called on members of ir choice to approach each or now. She asked for advance of trust from those who had not voted for her. “I just think people have been fed up with how it went, and now y’re hoping to connect with that result,” she said after vote. Since Landtag election in October, Guth leads Bundestag group in State Parliament of Hanover. So far, it has managed a moderate course.
On occasion of party day, according to police, about 600 people went to streets for openness and tolerance. To read on transparent goods slogans such as “No to right populism and racism” or “My world should be colourful”. At noon about 20 participants appeared at a rally of NPD at Braunschweiger Hauptbahnhof. Both events were going peacefully, a police spokesman said. The officials would have found only a few personalities.
