AfD builds training academy and staff roster ahead of Saxony-Anhalt election

Foundation of the Berlin training academy

Thirteen years after its founding, Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expanding its internal infrastructure to prepare for potential participation in government. The formal initiative began in early 2023 on the party's tenth anniversary, when co-chair Alice Weidel announced that the organisation needed corporate-style internal personnel development programs to prepare members for governing roles. Two years later, the party established the Schwarz-Rot-Gold Akademie GmbH in Berlin. According to its entry in the commercial register, the company operates in the field of adult education, providing skill training for full-time and voluntary roles across politics and public administration. The AfD has kept specific details regarding curricula, attendee identities, and selection procedures confidential. Federal treasurer Hannes Gnauck oversees the operational management of the training institution.

Administrative staffing for regional ministries

The training initiative focuses specifically on equipping personnel for second- and third-tier administrative roles, including office managers, speechwriters, and policy advisers. Party officials assume that state-level associations can supply their own top political personnel, such as cabinet ministers, but will face personnel deficits in the administrative apparatus underneath. To address this, the academy maintains a register listing candidates and their specific qualifications. A pool of several dozen lecturers provides instruction in technical fields such as budget law and domestic policy. State associations already operate entry-level academies for junior staff, making the federal academy the second tier in the training hierarchy. Gnauck outlined the academy's operational support for regional branches facing government transitions.

The academy makes an offer to the state associations: If they are looking for an office manager, a speechwriter, or a specialist advisor for a subject area after the election, then we can help.

Strategic working group and sabotage defense

At the AfD federal party congress in July, Weidel detailed two primary objectives for the party: preparing state associations strategically for executive responsibility and training secondary personnel. On the federal level, the party created a specialized body known as the AG Regierungsbeteiligung. The leadership allocated 185,000 euros annually to fund two newly created positions dedicated entirely to this working group. The unit is responsible for identifying political pitfalls and performing advance technical drafting so that potential AfD legislative proposals do not fail due to procedural flaws. The working group also develops legal and political defense strategies against potential efforts to impede an AfD administration. During the July congress, Weidel described these measures as preparations against expected government sabotage, establishing a framework to challenge administrative obstruction.

State election timing and Austrian consultations

These administrative preparations coincide with the closing phase of the state election campaign in Saxony-Anhalt, where voting takes place in just over two weeks. Lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund could potentially require ministerial staff if the party enters regional government, a scenario for which Gnauck stated the federal association is prepared. To gain practical governing insight, the AfD has also consulted with its right-wing Austrian counterpart, the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), which holds decades of cabinet experience. In April, top AfD representatives from the federal Bundestag, state parliaments, and the European Parliament gathered in Berlin for a strategy conference attended by a former FPÖ official. The meeting focused on navigating civil service bureaucracies and addressing practical hurdles encountered during government transitions.