Six AfD candidates and reserves died within 13 days before elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, forcing ballot reprints and prompting police investigation.
German authorities are investigating a series of sudden deaths involving six members of the right-wing Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party just days before local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia.
According to BBC reports, four AfD candidates — Ralph Lange, 66; Wolfgang Klinger, 71; Stefan Berendes, 59; and Wolfgang Seitz, 59 — died within a two-week span, alongside two reserve candidates.
Officials said two deaths were confirmed as natural causes, while no comment has been given on the remaining cases. Police stressed that foul play is not currently suspected, but investigations are ongoing.
The unusual wave of deaths has caused ballot reprints and the invalidation of some mail-in ballots. North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state with 18 million residents, is set to hold elections on September 14 with about 20,000 candidates contesting.
The AfD, once marginal in the state, has grown from 5.4% of the vote in 2022 to polling at 16.8%, according to BBC.
Party co-leader Alice Weidel fueled speculation by reposting economist Stefan Homburg’s remark that the string of deaths was “statistically impossible.”