Birgit Bessin is the new state chairwoman of the Brandenburg AfD.
The 44-year-old former deputy state leader prevailed on Saturday at the AfD state party conference in Prenzlau (Uckermark) in a contest vote with 178 votes from the members against the member of the Bundestag René Springer, who received 147 votes.
Bessin thus accounted for around 53.3 percent of the votes, Springer came to 44.01 percent.
As the third applicant, AfD member Alexander Nikulka from the Oder-Spree district association received 8 votes.
Bessin succeeds Andreas Kalbitz, whose party membership was declared null and void by the AfD Federal Arbitration Court in summer 2020.
Since then the post has been vacant.
The 44-year-old is considered a confidante of Kalbitz.
Like Kalbitz, she was one of the signatories to the "Erfurt Resolution" of the now defunct right-wing national "wing" of the party around the Thuringian parliamentary group leader Björn Höcke.
In her application speech, Bessin emphasized that she wanted to concentrate fully on party work and expand the campaign to recruit new members.
"I'm a team player and absolutely motivated." Bessin pointed out that since Kalbitz's departure, she had led the state association as vice-boss and had made intensive contacts with the district associations.
Springer had announced in his application speech that he wanted to lead the AfD into government.
"We have to ask the question of power in this country, we have to become the strongest force and we have to take responsibility for government," he emphasized.
The 42-year-old was office manager for the honorary chairman of the Brandenburg AfD, Alexander Gauland, and is currently spokesman for labor and social affairs for the AfD parliamentary group.