AfD in the district council in crisis: Friedhoff resigns!

AfD in the district council in crisis: Friedhoff resigns!

There has been another change in the political landscape of the Ludwigslust-Parchim district, which affects the formation of the AfD in the district council. Dietmar Friedhoff, the current parliamentary group leader, has resigned from his mandate with immediate effect. This is not only a personal withdrawal, but also has far-reaching consequences for the group, which is now shrinking to 17 members. The situation is made more difficult because there are no replacements available, which deprives the AfD of the opportunity to achieve a majority of votes for its own concerns, as Nordkurier reports.

Friedhoff, who ran as a district administrator candidate for the AfD in January 2025, has settled in the district and has lived in Lübtheen since 2024. The incumbent district administrator, Stefan Sternberg from the SPD, won the election on May 11th. Friedhoff is now moving back to the old federal states, bringing new uncertainties to the group. What is particularly striking is that the CDU and the ZLP are now submitting joint resolutions and working together to push through their political agenda.

About the background

Meanwhile, the identity of Philip Steinbeck remains unclear after a house search was carried out. Sternberg plans to hold talks with the district council to clarify possible consequences for Steinbeck's mandate. In addition, his wife Natascha Steinbeck, who works as managing director of the AfD district council group, could also be affected. It should be noted that Natascha Steinbeck was no longer living in the family home in Jessenitz at the time of the search, which raises questions about the stability of the AfD faction.

Friedhoff, who was born in Hagen in 1967 and has a lot of experience as a qualified electrical engineer, has been a member of the AfD since 2013 and has become known, for example, as an African policy spokesman in the German Bundestag. His critical statements on “illegal migration” as well as his claims about the responsibility of district administrators for deportations testify to his polarizing view, which was not least accompanied by his activities in the past, such as NDR informed.

Prospects for the AfD

The AfD won votes in the last local elections and is trying to position itself as a caretaker party. This is also evident in the culture of political debate, where populist measures are called for to address the concerns of voters. However, it can be observed that the debates are increasingly polarized and that there is an influence on the way politics work and how we interact with each other. The AfD's presence has tested the firewall with other parties, which raises discussions about possible cooperation, as mentioned in an article by Volksverpetzer.

Overall, it remains to be seen how the AfD will position itself in the district in the future, especially given the internal turbulence and political challenges that lie ahead. It is clear that the coming months will be crucial for the political landscape of Ludwigslust-Parchim.