Germany: neo-Nazi politician voted out of town council
October 23, 2019
A German neo-Nazi politician whose election to a town council caused international outcry has been voted out of his post.
On Tuesday the town council in Altenstadt-Waldsiedlung in the central state of Hesse voted to remove from the council Stefan Jagsch, a member of the National Democratic Party (NPD), an extreme-right wing party with neo-Nazi ties.
Jagsch's election last month was condemned in Germany and abroad. Following the uproar, the council immediately made a motion to have him removed.
Read more: Young people drawn to far right in eastern Germany
At the Tuesday vote, seven of the eight council members voted to remove Jagsch. Only the NPD politician himself dissented.
To replace him, the council elected 22-year-old Christian Democrats (CDU) politician Tatjana Cyrulnikov.
'Relieved and happy'
Altenstadt Mayor Norbert Syguda said he was "relieved and happy" that Jagsch had been voted out.
Jagsch was voted onto the council unanimously in September. The members who elected him, who included members of the CDU, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) and the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP), explained the decision by saying no other candidates had run.
Jagsch has said he will take legal action against the decision.
kp/rt (EPD, dpa)
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