The German party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has come under fire after revelations of an extensive system of mutual hiring of politicians' family members. The scandal, dubbed the 'relatives affair,' has sparked outrage not only from the opposition but also from within the party itself. Chancellor Merz and politicians from the CDU and SPD have announced a revision of the parliamentary law to curb the practice of funding families with taxpayers' money in parliamentary offices.

Cross-hiring mechanism

AfD politicians hire relatives of their party colleagues, allowing for a legal, though ethically questionable, circumvention of the nepotism ban in the Bundestag.

Sharp criticism from CSU and CDU

Markus Söder and Jens Spahn accuse AfD of creating clan structures and fictitious employment of workers with public money.

Announcement of legislative changes

The governing coalition and the Union plan to tighten the parliamentary law to definitively close legal loopholes enabling the payment of politicians' families.

Rebellion within party structures

Over 150 activists of AfD from Saxony-Anhalt demand explanations and the convening of an extraordinary congress to hold those responsible for the scandal accountable.

The German political scene is abuzz with a scandal uncovered within the ranks of the right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD). Journalistic investigations and internal reports point to the existence of an organized system of nepotism, involving so-called cross-hiring. This mechanism is based on employing family members of some parliamentarians in the offices of their party colleagues, allowing for a formal circumvention of regulations prohibiting the direct hiring of close relatives. This practice affects both the Bundestag and state parliaments, including in Saxony-Anhalt. Bundestag has become the arena for sharp disputes over ethics in politics. The reaction from political opponents is firm. Markus Söder of the CSU compared AfD's modus operandi to 'clan structures,' accusing the party of progressive radicalization and treating the state as its own spoils. Meanwhile, Jens Spahn (CDU) suggested that in many cases we may be dealing not only with nepotism but even with fictitious employment, where state-budget-paid employees actually perform no tasks. The organization Transparency International called for immediate closure of legal loopholes that enabled this morally questionable phenomenon. In 2013, a similar scandal, known as the 'Verwandtenaffäre,' shook Bavaria's CSU, leading to significant tightening of regulations regarding the hiring of relatives by MPs in that state.Deep divisions have emerged within AfD itself. While Tino Chrupalla tries to downplay the matter as an issue of 'aesthetics,' some activists from Saxony-Anhalt are demanding an extraordinary party congress and consequences for leaders implicated in the scandal. Paradoxically, despite the image crisis, the latest polls indicate stable support for the party, which experts attribute to the high resilience of the core electorate to reports of financial abuses by leaders. Nepotism has, however, become a central theme in the campaign during this super election year. „The employment relationships among AfD MPs already resemble clan structures.” — Markus Söder The Ministry of Finance and representatives of the governing coalition and the opposition Union have announced swift work on amending the parliamentary law. The goal is to completely prohibit the hiring of second-degree relatives and persons connected to other members of the same parliamentary faction. The new regulations aim to 'drain the swamp of abuses' and restore voters' trust in democratic institutions, which, according to Thuringia's Prime Minister Mario Voigt, have been treated by AfD as war booty. 150 — AfD members in Saxony-Anhalt demand a congress regarding the scandal

Mentioned People

  • Markus Söder — Premier of Bavaria and head of the CSU, sharply criticizing AfD for clan structures.
  • Jens Spahn — Deputy head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, accused AfD of fictitious employment of workers.
  • Tino Chrupalla — Co-chairman of AfD, downplaying the matter as unfortunate optics.
  • Mario Voigt — Chairman of the CDU in Thuringia, accused AfD of treating the state as spoils.