The Alternative for Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia branch secured 82 positions on its state election list on Saturday, with state chairman Martin Vincentz claiming the top spot as lead candidate, defying the federal leadership's call to abandon the process after a factional dispute disrupted the Marl conference.
Rival delegates walked out in protest on Friday and did not return, allowing Vincentz's supporters — roughly 350 of nearly 500 eligible delegates — to complete the remaining ballots swiftly. The state chapter had already filed for a restraining order against the federal board at the Düsseldorf regional court on Friday, after national co-chairs Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla formally demanded the conference be terminated.
The list will be submitted to state election authorities, with the interior ministry set to review its validity for the April 2027 state election. The federal board is scheduled to reconvene Monday to address the fallout.