Uproar in southern Germany Member of parliament paints swastika on ballot paper - horror

During a secret ballot in the state parliament of Baden-Württemberg, a swastika appears on a ballot paper. The president of the state parliament is horrified.

DPA

25.07.2025, 08:23

dpa

A swastika was daubed on a ballot paper during a secret ballot in the state parliament of Baden-Württemberg. State parliament president Muhterem Aras (Greens) confirmed the incident in the plenary chamber and expressed her outrage. The parliamentary groups in the state parliament reacted with horror. The AfD parliamentary group denied having anything to do with the incident.

"It just disgusts me," said Aras. The use of anti-constitutional signs is a criminal offense. Unfortunately, it was not possible to attribute the act to one person. "This is underground", said Aras. And: "This is a disgrace for this parliament."

AfD MP: Have nothing to do with it

The AfD previously wanted to have representatives elected to the so-called Upper Rhine Council in the secret ballot to which the ballot paper belonged - but failed once again. The Franco-German-Swiss committee is made up of representatives from the sub-regions of Alsace, North and South Baden, Southern Palatinate and Northwestern Switzerland.

For the secret ballot, two ballot boxes were placed at two exits of the plenary chamber - the AfD, CDU and FDP MPs sit at one end and the Greens and SPD at the other. The MPs then usually go to their respective corners to vote. They are registered there by name by secretaries when they cast their ballot papers.

According to dpa information, the ballot paper with the swastika is said to have been cast on the side of the SPD and the Greens. The state parliament administration emphasized that it could not provide any information as to which ballot box the ballot paper was in. This was the subject of an investigation.

It was difficult to assign the ballot paper, said a spokeswoman. All the facts would be checked. However, it is unlikely that the ballot paper was cast by an uninvolved party, i.e. not a member of parliament. Only MPs vote, said the parliamentary spokesperson.

AfD MP files criminal complaint

The swastika was the official symbol of National Socialism and became the symbol of the Nazi state in 1935. Using and displaying the swastika is a punishable offense. The penal code provides for a prison sentence of up to three years or a fine.

The state parliament administration did not want to show the ballot paper with the anti-constitutional symbol to the public. It had already been handed over to the authorities, according to the state parliament administration in the evening.

As the Deutsche Presse-Agentur learned, the swastika is said to have been entered in the "yes" box next to the name of AfD candidate Bernhard Eisenhut, who was running for the Upper Rhine Council. According to the AfD parliamentary group, Eisenhut filed criminal charges against persons unknown for the use of anti-constitutional symbols, insult, coercion, defamation and intimidation of elected representatives.

AfD MP Miguel Klauss said that the party firmly rejects the idea that the AfD had anything to do with the ballot paper. Aras had spoken in the direction of the AfD and apparently wanted to show that the ballot paper had come from the AfD, said Klauss.

Eternal bickering over committees

The AfD had previously failed in the state parliament with its 14th attempt to have representatives elected to the board of trustees of the Baden-Württemberg State Center for Political Education. Following the failure, AfD MP Klauss called for the election to be repeated, but state parliament vice-president Wolfgang Reinhart (CDU) refused. The AfD was elected by the people, yet the party's MPs were denied seats, stripped of their offices and deliberately excluded from committees, criticized Klauss. The other parliamentary groups wanted to silence the voices of millions of citizens.

The elections to both committees are perennial disputes in the state parliament. Time and again, the AfD puts forward candidates, and time and again the other parliamentary groups reject them. The election to the Board of Trustees was held as an open vote on Thursday. The election to the Upper Rhine Council was then held by secret ballot at the request of the AfD.

Political education and the Rhine Council

The State Agency for Civic Education is an institution under public law and is part of the state parliament. Its non-partisanship is to be ensured in the Board of Trustees. The board meets several times a year and consists of two dozen members, the majority of whom are from the state parliament. The parliamentary groups are represented on the Board of Trustees according to their strength. Accordingly, the AfD parliamentary group would be entitled to two seats. The AfD parliamentary group had already taken legal action against the repeated rejection of its candidates before the state's Constitutional Court - but without success.

The Upper Rhine Council is, by its own account, a tri-national parliament for the Upper Rhine region. Representatives from Germany, France and Switzerland sit on the council. The Council meets twice a year and draws up resolutions on cross-border issues.