In his first election as president at the end of 2019, the Saxon master painter won 54.5% of the vote in a second round. This time, he can convince 53.4% of the delegates. This relatively poor result may also have something to do with the fact that state election results in Saar, Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia were disappointing for the AfD.
Weidel gets a better result
Alice Weidel, who already leads the parliamentary group with Chrupalla and now joins him at the top of the party, is trying to banish the gloomy mood. She optimistically calls out to the runner: “Not every blow to the neck is a knockout.”
The fact that Weidel scored significantly better than Chrupalla with 67.3% of the vote can be interpreted as evidence of greater acceptance. But perhaps it is also because, at MEP Nicolaus Fest, she has a lesser-known opponent than Chrupalla, who has to defend herself against her shrewd parliamentary colleague.
Stephan Brandner, who has been confirmed as a party deputy in Riesa, does not blame Chrupalla for the losses in the recent elections. He says things only went wrong when longtime chairman Jörg Meuthen, who left in January, started “going crazy” in early 2020.
Anyone who wants to speak at the Sachsenarena but doesn’t want to run as a candidate usually speaks into one of the two microphones placed in the room. At the same time, whoever feels the urge to do so is free to do so from the podium pulpit. Höcke, in particular, feels this desire. “Good morning Riesa,” he calls out in the salon on Saturday and enjoys the applause that greets him.