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- German regional lawmaker admits drawing swastika on ballot paper next to far-right candidate's name</p>
<p>July 25, 2025 at 6:43 PM</p>
<p>A general view of the Baden-Wuerttemberg state legislature in Stuttgart, Germany, Thursday, July 24, 2025. (Bernd Weissbrod/dpa via AP) ()</p>
<p>BERLIN (AP) — A German regional lawmaker admitted Friday that he drew a swastika next to a far-right candidate's name in a state parliament vote and said he was giving up his post as a deputy speaker of the legislature.</p>
<p>The speaker of the legislature in the southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg said Thursday that someone had drawn the Nazi symbol on a ballot paper in a vote for a regional cross-border body that includes representatives from Germany as well as neighboring France and Switzerland.</p>
<p>The far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party, known by its acronym AfD, had tried and failed to get nominees elected.</p>
<p>Using the swastika is illegal in Germany and falls under a ban on the symbols of unconstitutional organizations.</p>
<p>The speaker, Muhterem Aras, described the incident as "a disgrace for this parliament." But, since it was a secret vote, it was not immediately clear who was responsible.</p>
<p>On Friday, Daniel Born, a deputy speaker of the legislature and member of the center-left Social Democrats, said that he had drawn the symbol next to the name of an AfD lawmaker.</p>
<p>He described his actions in a statement as a "serious mistake" and apologized. He said that he was stepping down as deputy speaker and leaving his party's parliamentary group.</p>
<p>Aras called for him to give up his parliamentary seat, German news agency dpa reported.</p>
<p>Born said that he had not intended to make out that a far-right lawmaker had drawn the symbol. "On the contrary, in a knee-jerk reaction, I wanted to show that votes for AfD are always votes for right-wing hatred and agitation, no matter in what election," he said.</p>
<p>AfD has firmly established itself as a force in German politics since it was formed 12 years ago, even as it has drifted steadily to the right.</p>
<p>In Germany's national election in February, it finished second with 20.8% of the vote, and is now the biggest opposition party in Berlin. However, mainstream parties refuse to work with it.</p>
<p>Born said in his statement that "it no longer leaves me a minute's peace" that people are increasingly getting used to the party.</p>
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