He is at the center of the political theater in the Thuringian state parliament: AfD senior president Jürgen Treutler. He was initially not even considered a candidate for the state parliament.
In the scandal surrounding the inaugural session of the Thuringian state parliament, one man is in particular focus: senior president Jürgen Treutler of the AfD, which is classified as right-wing extremist in Thuringia. The 73-year-old pensioner is sitting in the Thuringian state parliament for the first time after winning the Sonneberg I constituency in the election on September 1st with 42.6 percent of the initial votes.
Above all, his birth year in 1951 makes him a central figure in the current chaos. Unlike in the Bundestag or a few other state parliaments, in Thuringia it is not the longest-serving member who takes on the role of senior president, but rather the oldest member in terms of age.
Treutler replaced another candidate
According to “Welt” research, the AfD is said to have nominated the native of Saxony as a state parliament candidate due to his age in order to be able to fill the office – as has now happened. At the beginning of the year, the party unanimously proposed another candidate for the state parliament in the constituency, who was then replaced by Treutler in the summer. “You can be sure that we as AfD Thuringia have very far-reaching strategic planning,” said state leader Björn Höcke when asked by “Welt”.
Treutler was born in Silberstrasse near Zwickau. In the GDR he completed his mechanical engineering studies as a qualified engineer and worked in the energy supply sector until after the fall of the Wall. In 2017 he joined the AfD, according to his own statements, out of anger over the refugee policy of then Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU). The following year, the Thuringian Office for the Protection of the Constitution targeted Höcke’s AfD.
From 2019 onwards, Treutler sat in the Sonneberg district council, most recently as chairman of the AfD parliamentary group. In August he also became chairman of the city council in Sonneberg, where he has lived for more than 30 years. He failed in his attempt to enter the Bundestag for the AfD in 2021.
Treutler profile on the AfD Thuringia website. Results of the Thuringia state election in the Sonneberg I constituency
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
