Six candidates from Germany’s rightwing AfD party die days apart in lead up to local elections: reports

Four candidates and two reserves from the right-wing AfD political party in Germany have dropped dead within 13 days of each other — just before elections, according to reports.

The Alternative for Deutschland candidates were set to appear on ballots in North Rhine-Westphalia on September 14.

Officials said no foul play is currently suspected in another of their deaths, the BBC reported.

Ralph Lange, 66; Wolfgang Klinger, 71; Stefan Berendes, 59; and Wolfgang Seitz, 59, all kicked the bucket within the two weeks of each other, the European Conservative reported. Two reserve candidates also died over the same period.

German officials stated that two of the deaths were a result of natural causes, but have not commented on the cause of the others.

The AfD was not expected to be competitive in the regional September elections, The European Conservative reported. 

However, the party made significant progress since the last state elections in 2022 — climbing from 5.4% in the polls to 16.8% within North Rhine-Westphalia, the BBC reported.

North Rhine-Westphalia has a population of 18 million and a reported 20,000 candidates will run for office this cycle.

The mass of untimely deaths amongst AfD candidates has forced officials to reprint ballots several times and invalidate some mail-in ballots, according to the BBC.

Alternative for Deutschland co-leader Alice Weidel amplified speculation when she reposted economist Stefan Homburg’s comment that the number of candidate deaths was “statistically impossible,” the BBC reported.

German police stated they were investigating the deaths and details have been withheld for reasons of family privacy, according to reports.