2024-08-16 06:49:59
In the middle of the election campaign, the vice-chairman of the AfD Thuringia is going into the advertising industry. The company allegedly has nothing to do with the party.
The AfD in Thuringia has excellent prospects: it could very likely emerge from the state elections in September as the strongest force. The right-wing extremists are already dreaming of having a first-time state premier with top candidate Björn Höcke. That should also please a man in the second row who has been pulling the strings for Höcke nationwide in the party for years: Torben Braga, the deputy state chairman.
He is considered to be well connected and influential in the AfD. He was in charge of key associations for Höcke’s supposedly dissolved “wing”. One of them gained a reputation for being a kind of “slush fund”. Another was supposed to acquire state funds for the party in the form of a foundation. To this day, Braga is considered to be absolutely loyal with a political future at state and federal level. He has a promising place on the list for the state elections and is a direct candidate.
Elected officials – and political advisors?
It is therefore somewhat surprising that the 33-year-old – who, in addition to his party office, already sits in the state parliament and acts as parliamentary manager of the AfD parliamentary group – is also drawn to the private sector in the midst of the important election campaign. According to information from t-online, he founded a new company in the state capital of Erfurt in mid-June: Atesto UG. He has been the managing director and sole shareholder there since then. It was entered into the commercial register in mid-July.
“I initiated the creation of the necessary structure to realize a specific project some time ago,” Braga told t-online, without giving any further information about this project or the product being marketed. “The timing of this with the state election campaign in Thuringia is purely coincidental.”
In addition to the unusual timing, the business purpose of his company may also be surprising. With Atesto UG, the political scientist does not offer services that are completely unrelated to his political activities. According to commercial register documents available to t-online, it is a service provider for advertising measures – and at least in principle also the associated political strategy consulting. In other words: a PR and lobbying company.
The commercial register states that the business purpose of Atesto UG is: “Development and distribution of software-based solutions to support organizations in advertising campaigns.” It also states that it is about “advice on advertising, communication, public relations and political strategy.” It also includes participation in companies.
A deputy party leader and parliamentary secretary who also offers advertising and political advice for a fee?
This is at least a strange constellation that raises questions about clients and customers – even if Braga stresses when asked that the company’s purpose is “deliberately broad in order to also enable activities that are only to be carried out under certain circumstances and, if at all, only in the distant future”.
Who could Braga, as party executive and member of parliament, provide political advice to without conflicts of interest? Could his new company even work for the AfD, for one of its factions or for individual politicians? That is at least a suspicion that is now making the rounds within the party.
Braga does nothing without instructions from his regional chairman, it is said behind closed doors. In the Thuringian parliamentary group meetings, there was also a lot of talk about the need for the party to gain a foothold in the media industry. There was talk of social media and advertising clips, t-online learned.
When asked, the regional association and parliamentary group denied having any business relationships with Braga’s company. Braga himself said: “‘Atesto UG’ is still in the process of being founded – in the broadest sense – and is therefore not yet developing any relevant activities and has not yet entered into any business relationships in the sense of your questions, and consequently also not with my party, its divisions, parliamentary representatives or any officials and representatives.”
Neither the state executive board, nor the parliamentary group or Braga himself have commented on whether such business relationships are planned.