AfD MP Malte Kaufmann says German Ambassador to Georgia Peter Fischer should resign or be removed for political bias

Malte Kaufmann, a Bundestag MP from the opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, on Tuesday assessed a social media message by Peter Fischer, Germany’s ambassador to Georgia, as “outrageous”, stressing that he should either resign or be dismissed.

The controversy concerns Fischer’s post about the results of the parliamentary elections in the German state of Baden‑Württemberg. In his message, the ambassador wrote that a large majority of voters supported parties backing liberal democracy and the European Union, while expressing concern about those in Georgia who place their hopes in AfD.

“I read Mr. Fischer’s post and I think it is absolutely outrageous. In my opinion, he should either resign or be removed from his position, because diplomats must remain diplomatic and politically neutral”, the German MP said.

Kaufmann noted that in Baden-Württemberg, the region he represents, AfD has doubled its mandates and is now the largest opposition party.

“We may not yet be the ruling party, but I am confident that over time people will decide to entrust us with power. Therefore, this statement, and even the statement that we are in any way against Europe or democracy or liberalism, is outrageous because it is not true”, Kaufmann continued.

“AfD is pro-European. We are skeptical about many processes taking place within the European Union, but we are pro-European, we are a democratic party, and we want more democracy in Germany. Therefore, he [Peter Fischer] is completely misinformed and is spreading false information. Therefore, I think he should resign”, he concluded.