The local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), scheduled for September 14, 2025, have been engulfed in an atmosphere of uncertainty and shock due to the sudden death of four party candidatesAlternative for Germany (AfD) within a short period of time.
The affected cities are Wesel, Bad Lippspringe, Blomberg, and Schwerte, which has raised concerns both organizationally and politically.
According to reports, the police have not found any evidence of third-party involvement in any of the cases. In several of the deaths, judicial investigations were initiated, but these were quickly closed after "natural causes" were determined in at least two of the deaths. However, the number and the close timing of these deaths have caused speculation and theories on social media.
The most recent confirmed case was that of Ralph Lange, AfD candidate for the municipal council in Blomberg, who died on August 28 at the age of 66.
Se han iniciado investigaciones judiciales, pero los casos se han cerrado rápidamente
His death invalidated the early voting ballots that had already been sent, forcing local authorities to reprint and resend the electoral material in record time. Blomberg decided that the elections will be held as a partial election on the originally scheduled date.
Similar cases occurred in Bad Lippspringe, where Stefan Berendes, also an AfD candidate, died, as well as in Schwerte and Rheinberg, which forced the repetition of administrative processes and electoral reorganization in multiple districts.
The constant repetition of these deaths has directly affected the logistics of the election, including the validity of mail-in voting documents and the need to select new substitute candidates within a limited time frame.
En Bad Lippspringe, el candidato Stefan Berendes de AFD falleció recientemente
The NRW Ministry of the Interior has emphasized that not only AfD has been affected by deaths: a Green Party candidate in Hellenthal and another from the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Bad Münstereifel also died after being nominated. However, the concentration of deaths within AfD ranks has caused a broader debate.
German economist Stefan Homburg described the coincidence of these deaths as "statistically almost impossible," an opinion that was amplified by American entrepreneur Elon Musk on the social network X.
Musk, known for sympathizing with AfD and for his criticism of European migration policy, has commented on the issue. In a recent post about the local elections in Cologne, Musk wrote: "Either Germany votes for AfD or it will be the end of Germany," a comment that provoked strong reactions in the media and political circles.
Currently, AfD leads the national polls in Germany, surpassing the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) by two percentage points. The party has capitalized on public discontent over mass immigration and the economic situation, gaining widespread support.
AFD es el partido con mayor intención de voto de frente a las elecciones locales en Alemania
