There is no division: the Federal Convention of AfD strengthens party chief Meuthen

Kalbitz dispute, discussions about the content and direction of the party, the budget – on the list of the AfD in the Federal Convention, in the Saxon town of Lommatzsch were a number of topics. Then, the party leaders demonstrated a conscious Unity. "We have controversial, controversial fight, as it should be for a democratic party," said Co-Chairman Tino Chrupalla on Saturday evening. Nevertheless, the Federal Executive Board work together closely. "We are a AfD, there is no division," he said.

Federal chief Jörg Meuthen has for some time been party to internal criticism – in part due to the player being kicked out of the Brandenburg AfD-country heads of Kalbitz. A request to the Federal Convention had accused Meuthen "irresponsible attempts to divide us" and the personnel consequences called for he was however, rejected by the delegates in the end. According to party circles, 27 of the delegates voted against, among other things, the Bundestag, Armin-Paul Hampel introduced the request. 23 delegates voted for the motion.

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test You've spoken to the Convention in detail about the "Causa Kalbitz," said Meuthen. The AfD is a "vital culture", that's why you had to paint but no cleavage at the wall. Meuthen looks in the internal party power struggle for the Kalbitz-armed a majority. "I'm trying – and with me the majority of the national Executive Committee of the party to keep together," he said. A "clear firewall" to the far right and right-wing extremism belong. The actual splitters were sitting elsewhere.

On Friday Meuthen had a legal defeat suffered: The regional court of Berlin had declared the abolition of Kalbitz’ membership by the national Executive Board to be inadmissible. Meuthen was the case on Saturday, however, confident that the Tribunal will know the member rights. He said that the exclusion of Kalbitz was "uncomfortable action" that one had to take but have. "We have evidence that Kalbitz has solidified right-wing past that he has never distanced". Kalbitz was one of the leaders of the right-national "wing" of the Thuringian AfD country - and the group chairmen Björn Höcke.

Gauland observed "decomposition tendencies in the party"

AfD-honorary Chairman and parliamentary faction leader Alexander Gauland had expressed in the "mirror" previously, the concern: Since then, Meuthen had acted against Kalbitz, watch it "with care as a rule, the rights of a decomposition of trends in the party". Also, Björn Höcke criticized Meuthen: "For the third Time in our very young party's history, so one of our Federal speaker wants to make parts of the party silenced, or even from the party to urge," wrote Höcke on Friday night to Facebook and played with it on the predecessor Meuthens, Frauke Petry and Bernd Lucke. Also Tino Chrupalla had voted against a withdrawal from Kalbitz membership.

to be able to Several delegates were on the Convention, however, optimistic that the party's internal dispute. "I don't think it comes to a split," said about the Saxon Landtag deputies Joachim boar. Nevertheless, Keiler, acknowledged that the dispute over the past few weeks have led to that Meuthen had not improved his Position.