Politics · Germany · 4 hrs ago
AfD to pay singer Heino €7,500 over false election endorsement
Germany’s AfD party will pay singer Heino €7,500 after one of its candidates falsely claimed he supported him in a state election.
Felix Teichner, an AfD candidate in Brandenburg, posted that Heino would vote for him.
He also used wording that referred to the party’s blue color and one of Heino’s hit songs.
Heino said he had not endorsed any candidate and objected to being presented as the face of a political party without permission.
He initially sought compensation for damage to his public image, but agreed to a €7,500 settlement.
Teichner had deleted the post and apologized, and Heino’s side says the matter is closed.
Teichner lost the election to a candidate from the CDU.
The AfD’s Uckermark district association agreed to pay singer Heino €7,500 over election advertising that used his name without permission.
The advertising implied that Heino supported AfD candidate Felix Teichner in an election in the Uckermark.
Heino said he had not endorsed the candidate and sought compensation for damage to his image.
The dispute was settled at the Innsbruck Regional Court, and Teichner had apologized.
- Who
- Singer Heino and the AfD’s Uckermark district association; the campaign involved AfD candidate Felix Teichner.
- What
- The AfD agreed to pay Heino €7,500 in a settlement over election advertising that used his name without permission.
- When
- The advertising was linked to an election in April 2026; the settlement was reported on October 12, 2026.
- Where
- The election was in the Uckermark region of Germany. The compensation case was settled at the Innsbruck Regional Court in Austria.
- Why
- Heino said he had not endorsed Teichner and sought compensation for damage to his image.
Heino
AfD Uckermark district association
Use of Heino's name
Heino
Heino said he had not endorsed the candidate and objected to being used in political advertising without permission.
AfD Uckermark district association
The candidate used Heino's name in election advertising; the articles do not state the district association's view.
Resolution
Heino
Heino sought compensation for damage to his image and accepted a €7,500 settlement.
AfD Uckermark district association
The district association agreed to pay €7,500; Teichner apologized.
AfD candidate Felix Teichner used Heino's name in election advertising in the Uckermark.
The AfD district association gave a cease-and-desist declaration, and Teichner removed the post and apologized.
The parties' €7,500 settlement at the Innsbruck Regional Court was reported.
- Settlement
- €7,500
- Initial compensation demand
- €30,000, according to Bild and NOS
- Singer
- Heino, 87
- AfD candidate
- Felix Teichner
- Court
- Innsbruck Regional Court, Austria
What people are saying
Scandalous that I become the face of a political party without permission.
This action goes absolutely too far for me.
That settles the matter for us.
Sources
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