AfD Vice Leader Excluded from District Election in Lower Saxony

On July 29, 2026, Stephan Bothe, the deputy state leader of the AfD in Lower Saxony, was excluded from the district administrator election in Lüneburg. The local election committee ruled that Bothe, who is also a candidate for the AfD, is considered an enemy of the constitution, making him ineligible for the public office. This marks the second time an AfD candidate for district administrator has been barred from running in the region. The decision has sparked debate about the criteria for excluding candidates based on constitutional loyalty.