Jan Nolte is AfD’s top candidate for the federal election – Demos

Accompanied by loud protests and a large police presence, EU AfD parliamentarian René Aust called on the Hessian AfD to show unity in the election campaign for the 2025 federal election.

Although there were some contested candidates at the nomination meeting in the town hall in Hofheim am Taunus when determining the state list for the federal election, Aust stressed that they were “one team” during the election campaign. The delegates chose Jan Nolte, a member of the Bundestag, as the top candidate for Hesse.

Aust continued: “Let’s go Hesse, let’s go Germany – for a better country, for our country, for our fatherland!” added the Thuringian politician in front of around 290 delegates with a view to the federal election on September 28, 2025.

There were no contested candidates for the first two spots. Nolte was elected first with 268 of 283 valid votes. The soldier from the Waldeck-Frankenberg district then criticized a “hysteria” against the AfD: in other states, “sister parties” were already part of the government and were still democracies. Second place on the list went to Uwe Schulz from the Giessen AfD district association with 243 of 286 valid votes.

There were three rounds of voting for third place on the list because the minimum number of votes required for one candidate was not reached. Surprisingly, 28-year-old entrepreneur Robin Jünger from the Gießen district association, who was only running for the first time in the third round, won against the Bundestag member Mariana Harder-Kühnel and the deputy state spokesperson Pierre Lamely. Jünger received 153 of 286 valid votes.

The AfD in Hesse sees itself as being spurred on by the results of its party colleagues in the state elections in Saxony and Thuringia. Several AfD politicians referred to this. The Hessian board spokesman Andreas Lichert called out: “The light is coming from the East.”

The AfD currently has four members from Hesse in the Bundestag: the parliamentarians Nolte, Harder-Kühnel and Uwe Schulz, who are running again, and the 82-year-old Albrecht Glaser, who is not running again. Even more Hesse AfD politicians could be represented in the next federal election, according to the strengthened party, which now forms the largest opposition faction in the Wiesbaden state parliament. At the same time, however, the Bundestag is to be reduced in size following an electoral reform.

According to police, around 1,500 people protested outdoors in Hofheim in sunshine with banners, chants, songs and brass music against the AfD party meeting, which was heavily secured by police.

According to the police, the demonstrations were peaceful and no crimes were recorded. There were also blockades during one march. Various groups were among the participants, including the “Grandmas against the Right”. There was also a “Festival of Democracy” on a square in the city center. The AfD organized rallies with, according to the police, around 10 to 20 participants.

The alliance “Resist Together” said it blocked several access roads to the party conference. “We started these sit-ins because we believe that demonstrations and rallies alone are not enough,” said a spokesman. They wanted to show the AfD that it was not welcome.

The police say they will be deployed this weekend with a force in the low four-figure range – including helicopters, drones, dogs, mounted police and a water cannon.