AfD power struggle in NRW escalates as state leader defies federal board, fills candidate list after walkout
The North Rhine-Westphalian AfD continued its candidate selection convention in Marl on Friday after state leader Martin Vincentz rejected a federal board demand to cancel it. The Weidel-aligned faction walked out, allowing Vincentz to fill list positions up to 34 with his own candidates.
Federal board demands cancellation
On Thursday evening, AfD federal co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla sent a letter to the NRW state board demanding the immediate cancellation of the candidate selection convention in Marl. They cited "multiple, essentially consistent accounts" that delegates had been "threatened or placed under considerable pressure," which they said could jeopardize the list's legal validity. A party spokesman confirmed the federal board had approved the letter unanimously.
Vincentz refuses, cites legal impossibility
State leader Martin Vincentz rejected the demand in a sharp reply on Friday morning. He argued that an ongoing assembly cannot legally be terminated, writing: "The nomination assembly began on 9 July 2026, was duly adjourned, and will be continued on 17 July 2026 at 10:00." He accused the federal board of seeking "a state parliament list that is acceptable to the federal board," and warned that canceling the convention could lead to a repeat of the 2023 Bremen debacle, where the AfD was barred from the election after submitting two competing candidate lists.
The question therefore arises whether this is about the legal certainty of the list — or about its composition.
Walkout and rapid list-filling
When the convention resumed on Friday, deputy state leader Christian Zaum moved to cancel it, calling it a "convention of shame." The motion was rejected by a large majority. The faction aligned with Weidel, including Bundestag member Matthias Helferich and federal board member Sven Tritschler, then walked out of the hall in protest. With the opposition gone, Vincentz took the microphone and rapidly filled list positions up to 34, all without opposing candidates.
- Convention begins; list positions 1-21 elected over the first weekend.
- Position 22 election disrupted by 'Operation Filibuster' with over 90 candidates.
- Federal board demands cancellation, citing delegate intimidation.
- Convention resumes; motion to cancel rejected.
- Weidel-aligned faction walks out; Vincentz fills positions up to 34.
- Federal board to discuss removal of NRW state board.
Operation Filibuster and delegate intimidation claims
The conflict had erupted the previous weekend when the Helferich camp, which commands about 40 percent of delegates, nominated more than 90 candidates for list position 22. Each candidate was entitled to eight minutes of speaking time, a tactic known as "Operation Filibuster" that effectively blocked the convention. Vincentz called it "sabotage." The Helferich camp also alleged that delegates had been threatened by the state board, a claim Vincentz dismissed, saying delegates were "self-confident enough to make their own decisions."
I reject the insinuation that they allowed their voting behavior to be dictated to them, on behalf of the delegates.
What's next
The convention is scheduled to continue over several weekends, with the final session planned for September. Vincentz said he expects further disruption, noting that "according to currently available information, members are still being specifically mobilized in several district associations for the action known as 'Operation Filibuster'." The federal board plans to meet on Monday to discuss the possible removal of the NRW state board. Vincentz wrote that he would continue the convention "even if it costs me my head as state spokesman."
