Neo-Nazi elected district mayor of German town after no one stands against him

Stefan Jagsch
Stefan Jagsch was the sole candidate for district mayor of Waldsiedlung. Photo credit: Getty

A member of a neo-Nazi party has been elected district mayor of a German town after no one stood against him.

On Thursday (local time) Stefan Jagsch of the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) was elected unanimously as council leader for Waldsiedlung, a small town in the Altenstadt municipality. 

No other person ran for the position, forcing all seven councillors - including members of centre-left and liberal parties - to vote Jagsch into power. 

Markus Brando, the Social Democrats (SPD) leader in Aldenstadt, said Jagsch "filled the vacuum" of the role. 

Senior German politicians have voiced outrage at the result, saying the election should be nullified until more appropriate candidates can be found.

"The election of a member of a party which pursues anti-constitutional goals is a disgrace," said Paul Ziemiak, secretary-general of Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU).

In a passionate tweet, SPD secretary-general Lars Klingbeil outlined his party's position: "We don't co-operate with Nazis! Never!"

He called the decision to uphold Jagsch's election "incomprehensible" and demanded it be reversed immediately. 

While some Walsiedlung residents have voiced opposition to their new mayor, others say they don't have a problem with him, according to local media.

"The problem is Jagsch is a very nice person who belongs to the wrong party and I am against promoting NPD members," one man told the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

The NPD has been described by academics as "the most significant neo-Nazi party to emerge after 1945", and has survived several banning attempts by German officials.

In 2006 the party designed - but never distributed - leaflets targeting a Nigerian member of the national football team. "White – not just the colour of a jersey! For a true National team!" the confiscated leaflets read

Following the election of President Barack Obama in 2008, the NPD published a document claiming his leadership would destroy the "white identity" of the US. 

In 2012 several NPD members were ejected from the Saxony parliament for wearing items of clothing from Thor Steinar, a brand popular among neo-Nazis

Since World War II, Germany has taken a harsh stance against public displays of Nazi memorabilia or insignia that is not being used in an educational, scientific or artistic context.

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