BMW pulls leasing offer for AfD state parliament president

BMW has withdrawn a leasing offer for the official car of Saxony-Anhalt state parliament president Tobias Rausch of the AfD, BR reported. The move came hours after his election, according to Rausch and a report by Die Zeit.

In an open letter to BMW, Rausch questioned whether a person’s political views should determine whether a German company does business with them. The letter was sent to BR by a spokesperson for the state parliament. BMW told BR it does not comment on individual customer relationships.

The AfD criticised the company’s decision. Katrin Ebner-Steiner, the party’s parliamentary group leader in Bavaria, said BMW should focus on continuing to build good cars and described its conduct as “pseudo-moral symbolic politics by corporations.” Saxony-Anhalt’s domestic intelligence agency classifies the AfD as “confirmed far-right extremist.”

Most official cars used by Saxony-Anhalt’s state government and parliament are BMWs. They are generally shared among politicians and civil servants rather than assigned to individuals. The state parliament president’s car is an exception. Rausch can use the BMW assigned to his predecessor, Gunnar Schellenberger of the CDU, until its contract expires in November. He said in his letter that he would use his private car if BMW did not renew the offer.

Christina Deckwirth, Berlin office director at Lobbycontrol, welcomed BMW’s decision as a positive signal, saying it was important for industry and lobbying groups to take a stand as influential actors in a democracy. She also criticised carmakers’ approach at the European level, saying they were moving closer to right-wing parties in the hope of reversing the EU’s planned end to combustion-engine cars.