A few days after the AfD’s electoral success in Rhineland‑Palatinate, the state party chair and top candidate Jan Bollinger was removed as leader of the state parliament faction. In a faction vote, Michael Büge won 18 to 6, as reported by the SWR on Wednesday, among other outlets.
Bollinger has served as the AfD’s state chair since May 2022 and was elected faction leader in the state parliament in November 2023. Even with the record turnout at the state election, recent reports indicated growing dissatisfaction among party members with Bollinger’s leadership, and his position as party chief could be questioned at the next election.
Büge was formerly a member of the CDU and previously served as a state secretary in the Berlin Senate for Health and Social Affairs. He has been the AfD faction’s managing director in the Rhineland‑Palatinate state parliament since October 2017.