Jens Spahn proposes stripping AfD leader Björn Höcke of passive voting rights

CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn suggested in a Focus podcast that a legal procedure be opened to remove both the active and passive voting rights of Björn Höcke, the Thuringian AfD chairman. He presented the idea as an alternative to a full party ban, noting that “all talk about ban procedures – why not see if we can take the voting rights of an extremist like Höcke away?” The proposal received backing from several Union figures, including Sepp Müller, Philipp Amthor and SPD parliamentary chief Dirk Wiese, while SPD interior minister Georg Maier acknowledged the high legal hurdles.

Legal experts note that removal of passive voting rights is possible only for convictions involving at least a one‑year prison term, which Höcke’s fines for using a banned SA slogan do not meet. A possible amendment to the law is being discussed to lower the threshold for offences such as Volksverhetzung. CSU leader Markus Söder publicly rejected any partial ban of the AfD, warning that such moves would be “constitutionally difficult” and could give the party a martyr status. The debate reflects ongoing tensions within the governing coalition over how to handle the AfD, which has been classified as a secured right‑wing extremist organization in Thuringia.