Martin Mussgnug, a 35-year-old member of the Baden-Wuerttemberg State Parliament, was elected last night to succeed Adolf Von Thadden as president of the ultra right-wing National Democratic Party. Von Thadden announced his resignation from the presidency and all party committees on Saturday. Mussgnug who belongs to the more “moderate” wing of the party, won election by a vote of 259-189 at the NPD party congress in Holzminden, Bavaria. A protege of Von Thadden, he is said to represent party members who want to erase the neo-Nazi image that has long been attached to the NPD.
Mussgnug takes over at a time when the NPD is at its lowest ebb after threatening to become a serious factor in West German politics four years ago. At that time it held seats in seven slate parliaments and was bidding for representation in the Bundestag. The party denied that it was neo-Nazi but the rhetoric of Von Thadden and other NPD spokesmen clearly reflected Hitlerite tenets. The Nazi image was believed to have caused large scale defections from the NPD. In elections since 1968. It lost seats in all state legislatures except Baden-Wuerttemberg. In the last national elections the NPD failed to poll sufficient votes for a single seat in the Bundestag.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
