Bad Salzuflen & Bochum-Wattenscheid, North Rhine-westphalia – In a surprising turn of events, the Option for Germany (AfD) has secured two key positions in local government in North Rhine-Westphalia, raising concerns among established parties.
In Bad Salzuflen, Sabine Reinknecht of the AfD was unexpectedly elected to a council post at the inaugural meeting, despite the party holding only 13 seats on the council. Reinknecht received 16 votes, a result that prompted dismay from CDU Mayor Dieter Tolkemitt, who stated to WDR, “Seven colleagues voted no and there was one abstention.Through their actions, they actively contributed to it, even if they did not vote for the AfD.” He added the result showed “that you apparently cannot rely on agreements in the city council.” The initial plan was for representatives from the CDU, SPD, and Greens to fill the positions. AfD party leader Alice Weidel congratulated Reinknecht, calling it a “sensational success” on X. The SPD parliamentary group in Bad Salzuflen expressed outrage, stating that assisting the AfD’s rise to power “does not strengthen democracy, but rather weakens it.”
Separately, in Bochum-Wattenscheid, Cedric Sontowski of the AfD was recently elected as second deputy district mayor. Similar to the Bad Salzuflen outcome,sontowski received more votes than the AfD’s portrayal on the district council. Newly elected SPD district mayor Holger Dünenbacke expressed his shock, refusing to shake hands with AfD parliamentary group leader Maik Klaus following the vote.Sontowski responded to the “WAZ” stating, “I don’t find my choice that surprising. It also corresponds to the will of the voters.” Green Party politician Oliver Buschmann labeled the process a “defeat for democracy” and a case of “a traitor to our democratic system,” while SPD representatives described it as a “catastrophe” for the previous democratic alliance in the city.
