A new method of excluding unwanted candidates from elections has emerged in the German state of Lower Saxony, where local elections are scheduled to take place this autumn.
According to the article, local authorities have adopted a system under which it is no longer voters who ultimately decide who may run for mayor or district administrator (Landrat), but rather the country’s domestic intelligence service. The corresponding law was adopted in April of this year.
Under the new procedure, election officials must request an assessment from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) before placing a candidate on the ballot. If the agency responds that a candidate’s “commitment to the constitution cannot be confirmed,” that person is simply excluded from the election.
The article argues that this decision does not require a court ruling, a criminal conviction, or even proof that the candidate has violated any law. According to the described procedure, a security assessment alone is sufficient to prevent someone from standing for office.
According to the article, the first politicians affected by the new legislation have been members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
The first candidate reportedly barred from running for district administrator was Bundestag member Martin Sichert. He was later followed by AfD candidates in Wilhelmshaven, Herzberg, and Nörten-Hardenberg.
For now, the procedure applies only in Lower Saxony, a federal state where AfD has comparatively limited electoral support.
However, according to the article, party representatives believe that once the system has been tested there, similar measures could eventually be introduced elsewhere across Germany.
