AfD in shock: party expulsion proceedings against Matthias Helferich!

AfD in shock: party expulsion proceedings against Matthias Helferich!

In the political fray of the AfD, a party exclusion process is causing a stir. Matthias Helferich, a well-known AfD member of the Bundestag, is at the center of proceedings initiated today by the state association in North Rhine-Westphalia. The accusation against Helferich: He is said to have seriously violated the Basic Law. Specifically, in a post on Platform In view of these statements, the North Rhine-Westphalian regional association, which is generally considered comparatively moderate, feels compelled to act. Deutschlandfunk reports that the exclusion has already been decided in the first instance.

Helferich, like his supporter from the regional association, who operates under party leader Martin Vincentz, now has 14 days to appeal the decision to the AfD's Federal Arbitration Court. It also remains to be seen whether he will actually dare to go to civil court. In particular in connection with the proceedings, Helferich has already submitted requests for evidence and requests for bias against the judges, all of which have been rejected. He describes his position as “legally flawed” and is convinced that a proper court will guarantee him his return to the AfD. Rundschau Online gets to the point clearly.

Helferich's controversial statements

The controversy over Helferich is not new. The MP has already drawn attention to himself in chats with his controversial statements, in which he described himself as the “friendly face of the NS”. This remark not only spoiled criticism, but also the support within his party, even if he denies any proximity to National Socialism.

Helferich was elected to the Bundestag via the NRW state list in 2021, but was initially not allowed to be part of the parliamentary group. He has only been a member of the AfD parliamentary group again since the early federal election in February 2024 - a career that has been marked by internal power struggles in recent years. Vincentz repeatedly tried to exclude him from party positions and the AfD itself. Despite this resistance, Helferich not only found limited support in the regional association, but was even elected to one of the five advisory positions on the board last year. However, things don't seem to be entirely problem-free, as Vincentz blocked Helferich's direct candidacy in the upcoming federal election.

A look into the party history of the AfD

In order to better understand the background of the AfD, it is worth taking a look at its origins. It was founded in 2013 by Bernd Lucke, Konrad Adam and Alexander Gauland as a Eurocritical party. The motivation was the financial crisis of 2010 and criticism of the European Monetary Union. Initially, the AfD was perceived as liberal-conservative, but over the years, especially from 2014, its focus shifted towards right-wing populist and right-wing extremist issues, with criticism of migration becoming increasingly important. This change led to internal conflicts between moderate and radical forces within the party, such as the wing around Björn Höcke, which in turn led to an intensification of the AfD's political debate and identity bpb.

Helferich's affiliation with this eventful history of the AfD makes the current exclusion from the party a further link in the chain of controversies that have accompanied the party since its founding. The next few weeks will show what further steps he will take and how these developments will further influence the already tense mood within the AfD.