The local electoral committee of the city of Ludwigshafen has banned AfD leader Joachim Paul from running as a mayoral candidate in the upcoming elections on September 21. The official reason: “doubts about his loyalty to the Constitution,” according to a report issued by the domestic intelligence agency of the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
The decision, clearly political, was voted on by members of the establishment parties (SPD, CDU, FDP) and a local independent group (FWG). AfD had no representation on the committee, further reinforcing accusations of bias and political persecution. The report on which the ban was based cites public statements by Joachim Paul that the regional intelligence agency—controlled by the Interior Ministry, held by the SPD—deemed problematic. These are not criminal acts or legal charges, but rather political opinions that challenge the system.
The case is reminiscent of authoritarian maneuvers by regimes that, in the name of supposed institutional defense, prevent dissenting candidates from participating in elections—violating the most fundamental democratic principle: that the people should decide. Paul himself called the measure undemocratic and stated that “the voters of Ludwigshafen have been deceived and deprived of their right to freely choose.” He also announced he would take legal action against the committee’s decision, thereby initiating a legal battle that could escalate in the coming weeks.
Paul’s exclusion is part of an escalating series of institutional attacks against AfD in Germany. From police raids and media surveillance to attempts at banning the party altogether, the German sovereigntist party has become the primary target of a political system suffocated by its own discredit and by the unstoppable rise of sovereigntist forces. The ban on Joachim Paul confirms that in today’s Germany, not all candidates are equal before the law.
