Germany’s Far-Right AfD Faces Unprecedented Wave of Candidate Deaths Ahead of Local Vote

Germany’s Far-Right AfD Faces Unprecedented Wave of Candidate Deaths Ahead of Local Vote

Düsseldorf / Berlin (September 4, 2025) , In the weeks leading up to North Rhine-Westphalia's local elections on September 14, a staggering cluster of deaths has struck the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. At least six, possibly seven, AfD candidates have died suddenly, four primary candidates and two reserve list candidates, with reports now including a seventh, raising logistical challenges and fueling speculation.

Administrative Chaos Amid Growing Political Gains

• The deceased candidates include Ralph Lange (66) from Blomberg, Wolfgang Klinger (71) from Schwerte, Stefan Berendes (59) from Bad Lippspringe, and Wolfgang Seitz (59) from Rheinberg. Two reserve candidates, René Herford and Patrick Tietze, have also passed away. All had their names removed from ballots, prompting extensive reprinting and requiring some voters to return mail-in votes.VGNews.com.auSnopesOmniHungarian Conservative+1

• German authorities have ruled out any foul play. Most deaths are attributed to natural causes or remain under privacy-protected circumstances; only in one case, a reserve candidate, was suicide confirmed.News.com.auSnopesAnadolu AjansıOmniHungarian Conservative

• The scenario has presented significant logistical hurdles. Election officials are scrambling to update ballots and notify affected postal voters, but authorities insist the election will proceed on schedule.VGNews.com.auEuro Weekly NewsAInvest

Conspiracy Theories Amid a Political Flashpoint

• The timing of the deaths has ignited speculation, especially on social media. Economist Stefan Homburg called the cluster “statistically almost impossible”, a claim amplified by AfD co-leader Alice Weidel, further inflamed by support from Elon Musk.VGNews.com.au+1OmniHungarian Conservative

• Still, some AfD officials, including Kay Gottschalk, counseled moderation, suggesting political stressors may be impacting the health of candidates. He emphasized the need for sensitivity and factual investigation.VGHungarian ConservativeEuro Weekly News

• Election authorities and security services have downplayed the unusual nature of the deaths. Officials note that deaths among candidates from other parties have also occurred. Among political hopefuls statewide, the mortality numbers, when contextualized within a candidate pool of around 20,000, fall within statistical expectations, according to the election commission.VGAnadolu AjansıOmniSnopes

Context: AfD’s Surge and Security Scrutiny

• The AfD, once marginal in North Rhine-Westphalia with just 5.4% of the vote in 2022, rode a wave of national momentum to reach 16.8% in federal polls, raising the stakes of this local election.VGNews.com.au

• The party remains under strong scrutiny. Germany’s domestic intelligence agency still classifies the AfD as a confirmed right-wing extremist group, a designation currently paused pending a legal appeal, subjecting it to increased surveillance.VGNews.com.au+1OmniSnopesAnadolu Ajansı

A Statistical Oddity, With Ramifications

While the deaths of six (possibly seven) candidates in such a short timeframe trigger alarm, statistical context suggests that, and this points to the real tragedy, coincidence can still inflict profound disruption. Yet for a party already at the center of heated political and intelligence scrutiny, this spate of deaths raises deeper questions about political pressure, health, and myth-making in a polarized setting.

For election officials, the immediate concern remains ensuring a smooth voting process. For political observers, it's a sobering reminder that campaigns don't always unfold within neat narratives, sometimes reality intrudes in ways no one anticipated.