German court bars three AfD politicians from Lower Saxony elections

The Higher Administrative Court (OVG) in Lüneburg has issued a final ruling barring three Alternative for Germany (AfD) politicians from participating in the upcoming local elections in Lower Saxony on September 13.

The excluded individuals include AfD state vice-chairman Stephan Bothe, who sought to run for district administrator in Lüneburg; Member of Parliament Martin Sichert, a candidate for district administrator in Friesland; and Justin Vogel, a mayoral candidate in Herzberg am Harz.

The court rejected the politicians' urgent applications, stating that the senate's decisions are “unanfechtbar” (unappealable) at this stage. The court explained that to ensure the smooth and timely conduct of the elections, any legal challenges regarding the legitimacy of the exclusions must be pursued through an election protest after the voting has concluded.

The ruling does not determine whether the exclusions were legally justified, only that they cannot be overturned before the election. The AfD has criticized the decision, with Bothe stating that the courts failed to address what the party considers unlawful exclusions. The party intends to challenge the results following the election.