The populist far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) likes to present itself as anti-establishment and as the voice of ordinary people. Nepotism in political parties, they believe, never goes down well with voters. When former Economy Minister Robert Habeck from the Green Party allowed friends or family members of his personnel to be hired back in 2023, AfD officials quickly accused him of "nepotism" and of fostering "clan criminality." The deputy federal chairman of the AfD, Stephan Brandner,