Germany's Bundestag descended into fierce debate on Thursday over the so-called relatives affair involving the AfD party, with MPs from the CDU/CSU, SPD, Greens and Left party accusing the AfD of shameless self-enrichment. The affair centres on the hiring of family members in the parliamentary offices of AfD colleagues, paid for by the state. The AfD denied any legal wrongdoing and accused the other parties of running a smear campaign.
Speakers from the coalition parties CDU/CSU and SPD, who had requested the parliamentary debate on the affair, accused the AfD of hypocrisy. CDU MP Hendrik Hoppenstedt said: "Moral decay and corruption applies in large parts to one single party, and that is the AfD. That stinks to high heaven." He accused the party of building a system "that serves the sole purpose of lining its own pockets through multiple cross-hiring arrangements involving family members."
Hoppenstedt also raised suspicions that some family members of AfD politicians employed at public expense had not actually worked, suggesting illegal ghost employment. He said this needed to be investigated. He also sharply criticised the absence of AfD parliamentary group leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla from the debate, suggesting this was likely because "Ms Weidel failed to put a stop to this for so long."
AfD parliamentary manager Bernd Baumann angrily rejected the accusations. He said the campaign against his party would amount to "nothing but sound and fury, and electoral gains for the AfD." Baumann argued that hiring family members in colleagues' offices is not illegal under the Members of Parliament Act, adding: "This Members of Parliament Act was made by all of you here." He added: "We in the AfD were not involved in that at all. If it were up to us, we would make things clearer and more precise."
Baumann went on to cite past examples of politicians from the CDU/CSU, SPD and Greens who had employed or favoured relatives or partners. "That is exactly the self-service mentality with which you are blanketing this country," he said. "All employment relationships at our party are legal."
SPD MP Johannes Fechner called the affair "a disgrace." He demanded that AfD leadership "clean up" within the parliamentary group, saying that party leader Weidel "does not have the leadership strength or the will to really crack down here." Fechner described it as "sheer audacity that unqualified relatives have received highly paid positions here in the Bundestag."
Fechner announced plans to tighten the Members of Parliament Act to prevent so-called cross-hiring of family members: "Positions in the Bundestag must be awarded on the basis of performance and competence, not family ties or to secure internal party networks."
Green MP Konstantin von Notz said the scandal offered "an insight into the broken engine room of a far-right party." He described the affair as "a system of rampant nepotism, alleged abuse of compensation rules and illegal party financing," adding that it showed "what understanding of the state, democracy and parliament this party has: our parliament is for you at best a welfare system for your own relatives."
Addressing AfD parliamentary manager Baumann directly, von Notz said: "You are making a fool of yourself. You come here every week and shout that you stand for the people. But you cannot find anyone among the people who wants to work for you. That is grotesque."
Left party MP Janina Böttger from Saxony-Anhalt said: "In public, the AfD never tires of showing contempt for parliament and democracy. But in private, parliament is appreciated as a job centre." Böttger accused the AfD of hypocrisy: "Those who repeatedly threaten to wield the iron broom are sitting up to their noses in their own mess."
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