A man who is part of the extreme-right National Democratic Party, which fosters neo-Nazism, has been appointed to serve as a district mayor in Germany.
Stefan Jagsch, 33, was placed in the role after officials in Waldsiedlung, a village near Frankfurt, said nobody else had applied. The position had remained unfilled for 10 weeks and nobody other than Jagsch said they wanted to do the job, according to the New York Times.
“We don’t have anyone else — especially not younger people who are good with computers and who can send emails,” said Norbert Szilasko, a local council member.
There has been swift condemnation after the appointment from a number of politicians. None of the seven officials who appointed Jagsch are associated with the National Democratic Party or the far-right, and according to Szilasko, no one considered Jagsch’s political affiliations when appointing him.
“What he does in the party or privately is no concern of mine, it is no concern of ours,” he said.
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, said the party would be investigating the appointment considering some members of the party appointed Jagsch.
Lars Klingbeil, head of the Social Democrats, called for Jagsch’s appointment to be reversed, adding, “We do not cooperate with Nazis! Never!”
Jagsch said that the reaction has been harsh, calling it “totally exaggerated and ridiculous.”
Germany has unsuccessfully tried to ban the National Democratic Party a number of times. During the 2017 Parliamentary elections, the group brought in 0.4% of the vote.
