AfD city council calls for Interior Minister Ebling to resign – political turbulence!

AfD city council calls for Interior Minister Ebling to resign – political turbulence!

In Rhineland-Palatinate, a new regulation on loyalty to the constitution is causing heated debates. Interior Minister Michael Ebling (SPD) retracts his previous statements and allows AfD members to apply for civil service, provided their individual loyalty to the constitution is examined. This decision could have far-reaching effects on the country's political landscape, as the AfD is on a list of extremist organizations whose membership generally precludes employment in the public sector, such as the Rhine Palatinate reported.

The initial situation is clear: While Ebling announced a tightening of the recruitment criteria for the public service on July 10, 2025, the new regulation does not provide for a blanket exclusion of AfD members. Instead, applicants will in future have to confirm in writing that they do not belong to an extremist organization or have belonged to it in the last five years. The classification of the AfD as “safe right-wing extremist” by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is particularly controversial. The party has been observed by the Bavarian State Office since summer 2022 to assess its tendencies Bayern.de reported.

Reactions and demands

Politicians reacted to the decision with sometimes sharp criticism. Christoph Schmitt, AfD city councilor from Ludwigshafen, calls for Ebling's resignation and even accuses him of spreading false information. “His understanding of democracy is more than questionable,” said Schmitt, expressing surprise at the contradictions in the state government. This opinion is shared not only by the AfD politicians, but also by state leader Jan Bollinger. He describes the new regulation as “attitude bureaucracy” and announces resistance to the government's supposedly authoritarian methods, as reported fr.de.

In addition, Ebling emphasizes that loyalty to the constitution is an unshakable duty for all civil servants and points out that extremism cannot be tolerated in the public service. The demands on civil servants, especially in the police and in the education sector, are particularly high. Applicants must undergo extensive security checks to ensure that they support the free democratic order.

The coming debate will show how the political mood in Rhineland-Palatinate develops and whether the pressure is growing on Ebling to revise his decision or, if necessary, to resign. The excitement surrounding loyalty to the constitution and membership in the AfD remains a hot topic in Rhineland-Palatinate politics.