The death of 12 candidates, 6 of whom are from the AFD party locally in NRW, sparks a storm of rumors.
At least 12 candidates for local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, have died in recent weeks, including six candidates from the AfD party (Alternative for Germany). This unusual number has sparked widespread controversy, especially after Alice Weidel, the party leader, contributed to conspiracy theories through a short post on the platform 'X', in which she simply stated: 'Four AfD candidates have died', which some interpreted as a hint of something unnatural.
What made matters worse was the intervention of her deputy, Stefan Brandner, who described the number of deaths as "statistically significant" and difficult to explain. The far-right magazine "Compact" falsely attributed a statement to Weidel in which she said that these deaths represent a "wake-up call" and claimed that hatred against the party is increasing dangerously, which was categorically denied by her spokesperson.
Although law enforcement authorities found no indication of criminal suspicions behind these deaths, the party announced that it would conduct a thorough examination of the circumstances surrounding them. Most cases did not warrant any criminal investigations and were classified as natural deaths, although there were two cases in which a preliminary investigation was opened due to a "cause of death unclear" recorded by the doctor.
In the cases of Wolfgang Seitz (59 years old) and Stefan Berendes (59 years old), the cause of death was not clear to the doctor during the initial examination, and a temporary investigation was opened. In Berendes' case, he suddenly collapsed during a training session for jiu-jitsu without any known medical history. The police clarified that such cases are common when there is no doctor familiar with the patient and their health conditions. Other deaths included: Ralf Lange (66 or 67 years old), Wolfgang Klinger (71 or 72 years old), Patrick Tietze (42 years old, suicide case), Renee Hereford (age unknown, liver disease case), and two others whose full details have not yet been disclosed, one of whom was not even a party member, according to a statement from the AfD branch in NRW.
The deaths were not limited to the Alternative Party alone, as parties and groups such as the Animal Protection Party, "Vote for the People", the Liberals, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) also lost candidates from their lists. Nevertheless, the large number of deaths among the Alternative Party is what drew attention. According to data from the government statistics office, the number of deaths in the age group in which some AfD candidates died does not seem unusual. For example, in August of last year, 267 people aged 59, 486 people aged 66, and 557 people aged 71 died at the state level.
On the other hand, no deaths have been recorded among the candidates of the CDU party, despite them presenting around 25,000 candidates. However, a party spokesperson clarified that the absence of deaths among them does not mean anything statistically, but is merely good luck. As for the authorities, there are no indications that there is anything abnormal or systematic behind these deaths. Although some party supporters have raised hypotheses of poisoning or elimination online, the police described these claims as "completely absurd."
On the administrative level, the elections will continue as scheduled on September 14, even in the districts where candidates have died. However, these elections are considered "subsequent elections on the original date," meaning that votes cast by mail before the announcement of death are invalid, and new ballots will be sent to voters. Some parties, including AfD, have already nominated substitutes for the deceased.
In the end, there is no evidence indicating the involvement of external parties or mysterious circumstances in these deaths. However, their timing and proximity to the elections have made them fertile ground for conspiracy theories, which always find an audience among certain political circles.