Dithmarschen: Dispute over district elections - is the AfD firewall breaking for the first time in the west?

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AfD election poster for the local elections in Schleswig-Holstein in May 2023

Photo: Hanno Bode / IMAGO

The mood is tense these days in Dithmarschen, on the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein. Around 140,000 people live in the district in which the well-known seaside resort of Büsum is located; the center is the town of Heide. The district council is scheduled to elect a district administrator there on Thursday. But what sounds like a routine act has explosive potential far beyond the borders of Schleswig-Holstein.

For the first time in western Germany, the AfD's votes could be decisive in a district election. And so the question is no longer just in the East as to how strong the firewall is that democratic parties have built against the AfD. But also in tranquil Dithmarschen.

Fight for the position

The independent administrative economist Stefan Mohrdieck has been serving as district administrator since 2018. He would like to stay and is running for re-election. The opposing candidate is Thorben Schütt, a 33-year-old candidate with a CDU party membership who heads the Interior Minister's office in Kiel. Black-Green rules there with the popular Unionist Daniel Günther at the top.

In Kiel, people are proud that the AfD does not sit in the state parliament, unlike in all other federal states. At the same time, it had to be noted that the party made strong gains in the local elections last year.

At that time, the state leaders of the CDU, SPD, Greens, FDP and the Danish party SSW agreed on the principle: "There is no cooperation with the AfD - neither in direct nor indirect form." It is recommended to the local party people not to do so Elect AfD representatives in committees.

In Heide there are 54 members of the district council. The CDU has 21 seats and is by far the largest parliamentary group. This is followed by the SPD (9), FDP (6), AfD (6), Greens (5), independents (4), and there are also three non-attached MPs. The absolute majority is 28 votes. There is no clear favorite for Thursday's election. A maximum of three ballots are planned. In the final round, a simple majority is sufficient.

Several factions have counted. The SPD is in favor of incumbent Mohrdieck. The Greens do not want to announce their vote in advance. But we will ensure that a district administrator gets a majority from the democratic camp. You will choose accordingly.

CDU and FDP for the challenger

CDU parliamentary group leader Christian Petersen told SPIEGEL: "I assume that the CDU parliamentary group will support Thorben Schütt with at least 19 votes." One CDU MP therefore wants to vote for the independent incumbent, while another is undecided. The FDP parliamentary group wants to vote for Schütt as a unit.

The challenger would therefore have 25 votes. And even if that wasn't an absolute majority, this calculation would have a clear result: If Mohrdieck wanted to beat his challenger, he would definitely need AfD people.

Lukas Kilian, general secretary of the state CDU, is outraged by this. He attacks the SPD, which “obviously has no problem with forming a majority including votes from the AfD.” He tells SPIEGEL that the AfD should not be normalized. There is a risk of a “dam burst” in Dithmarschen. The SPD must accept that there is no majority for incumbent Mohrdieck.

SPD parliamentary group leader counters

The SPD reacts angrily. "I won't allow myself to be told in advance how I have to vote in the district elections," says parliamentary group leader Jörg-Uwe Halusa. Incumbent Mohrdieck is the better candidate. The CDU is “promoting the mood”.

He is calling on the CDU to “speak out for Stefan Mohrdieck,” says Halusa. Then there will be “a broad democratic majority” for the incumbent. At the same time, it is clear: If an applicant comes into office only through votes from the AfD, "then I expect the candidate not to accept the election."

SPD state leader Serpil Midyatli expressed herself more clearly, without giving the local comrades an election recommendation. "We expect both candidates to find a democratic majority." If this does not succeed, the person elected will not be allowed to accept the election. “Both have to declare this publicly before the election.”

District administrator feels like a pawn

A call to Stefan Mohrdieck. The 57-year-old sounds frustrated. He says he has “no closeness at all” to the AfD. And he sees “good chances of getting votes from dissidents from the CDU and FDP.” Since the election is expected to be secret, it will probably be difficult to say in the end how the AfD voted.

Mohrdieck says he feels “increasingly like a pawn.” The CDU general secretary is apparently concerned with urging the SPD and the Greens to support challenger Schütt. Mohrdieck says he won't let himself be put under pressure. "I will not announce in advance whether I will reject an election if it only comes about through AfD votes." Which in turn has ruled out Schütt.

According to SPIEGEL information, there is dissatisfaction with the debate among the SPD and the Greens. The Democrats attacked each other while the AfD just watched and laughed up their sleeves, they say. The situation is unfortunate.

When asked, an AfD MP said that they knew who they would vote for. But: "We don't provide any information about this."