AfD candidates barred from local elections in Lower Saxony

In Lower Saxony, several AfD candidates have been excluded from upcoming municipal elections after verfassungstreue checks carried out by the state interior ministry and, where applicable, the Verfassungsschutz. The April 2026 amendment to the Niedersächsisches Kommunalwahlgesetz now permits election committees to consult intelligence reports when assessing a candidate’s commitment to the free democratic basic order. Candidates affected include Martina Hartschwager (Artland), Stephan Bothe (Landrat‑candidacy), Thorsten Moriße (mayor of Wilhelmshaven), and Martin Sichert, who was removed from the Landrat race in the Friesland district. Similar exclusion procedures have also been applied in Rheinland‑Pfalz. The moves have drawn criticism from UN special rapporteur Irene Khan, who called the practice “not in line with international standards,” and have sparked debate over democratic trust versus state control. Questions have been raised about the role of the ruling SPD‑Green coalition and about Minister‑President Olaf Lies, whose own constituency includes the Friesland district where Sichert was barred, prompting calls for greater transparency in the exclusion process.