Arno Bausemer

Arno Bausemer (born 2 December 1982) is a German politician of Alternative for Germany who was elected member of the European Parliament in 2024.

Early life and career Bausemer was born in Havelberg in 1982. He grew up in Hohengöhren and went to school in Schönhausen and Tangermünde, and started studying journalism and political science at Leipzig University. He stopped his studies prematurely.

In 2009 he became a lay judge at the , appearing at 3–4 hearings per year.

Arno Bausemer worked as an actor in reality-tv shows. He additionally worked as statist in movies by Til Schweiger. By resigning from the FDP, he pre-empted proceedings that had already been initiated to expel him from the party.

Having been a skeptic of CDU chancellor Angela Merkel's border policies in 2015, he looked for an alternative party. He joined Alternative for Germany in February 2016, and in the same year became a member of its district board and its candidate for mayor of Elbe-Havel-Land, and he began working as chief of staff to Oliver Kirchner in November 2017. He also wanted to became member of Bundestag for Altmark – Jerichower Land in 2021 federal election, but failed.

Bausemer falsely stated that he had been the managing director of a medium-sized agricultural business since 2012. In fact, it is not possible to be the managing director of a sole proprietorship in Germany. The sole proprietorship belonged to his mother. In addition, his inconsistency with regard to the receipt of subsidies and criticism of these was heavily criticized.

Bausemer also claimed to have received a scholarship by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, which is close to the FDP, due to being highly gifted. In fact there is no such scholarship as confirmed by the foundation and it is not proven that he is highly gifted. Thus, Bausemer has, contrary to his claims, no proven professional qualification up to this day (2024-08-13).

As a result of this affair, some party members have called for Bausemer to withdraw from the European Parliament election. Additionally they called the party executive committee of the AFD for an expulsion of Bausemer from the party and a new determination of the AFD list for the election. Consequently, Bausemer was stripped of his party offices at local and state level, yet was able to stand in the EU elections.