Ulrich Haase: Starnberg's new AfD mayoral candidate!

Ulrich Haase: Starnberg's new AfD mayoral candidate!

In Starnberg, the political landscape has gained a new actor: Ulrich Haase, chairman of the AfD Starnberger See local branch, has announced his candidacy for mayor. Haase, who lives in Starnberg and works as a self-employed entrepreneur, was unanimously elected in the assembly meeting, which also nominated eleven city council candidates. With a clear focus on citizen-friendly politics, he wants to put the interests of the population at the center of his administration sueddeutsche.de reported.

His goal is to use the mayor's skills to reduce bureaucracy and optimize public spending. Haase wants to create financial leeway to enable attractive trade tax rates and promote the maintenance of municipal roads and the promotion of retail. “I know the needs of the self-employed from my own experience,” emphasizes Haase, who sharply criticizes the shifting of political burdens onto the municipalities.

The path to the nomination

The AfD local branch in Starnberger See was founded on May 25, 2025. This meeting was significant because it took place despite the threat to an originally planned restaurant. The local association includes not only Starnberg itself, but also the surrounding communities of Tutzing, Feldafing, Pöcking and Berg. The local association currently has 32 members, and alongside Haase, Anton Bauer was also unanimously elected as deputy local chairman afd-starnberg.de reported.

The positive increase in membership is seen as an encouraging sign for the upcoming local elections on March 8, 2026. In this election, the AfD plans to run not only for the district council, but also for the Starnberg city council. These developments show how important local roots have become for the AfD's political agenda and its desire to assert itself in a political climate that is often characterized by intense resistance to its presence.

The challenges of the AfD

The AfD is increasingly presenting itself as a caretaker party that wants to take care of local concerns. The public often perceives it in a polarized way, which leads to a difficult culture of political debate in many municipalities. This phenomenon can be observed not only locally, but also in other parts of Germany and Europe. Since 2023, the party has already won its first mayors and district administrators in East German cities, which enables it to advance municipal issues and at the same time to propagate its ideology more actively, such as volksverpetzer.de analyzed.

Recent political disputes show that local levels of politics play a crucial role in connecting citizens and their elected representatives, as the AfD seeks to exert influence and set the political agenda. These developments are in the context of a broader social discussion about integration and social participation, which is often discredited by the AfD.

Ulrich Haase's appearance and his political ambitions are symbolic of the challenges and opportunities that the AfD faces at the local level. Whether he and his colleagues can actually be perceived as “carers” remains to be seen.