BERLIN

German election authorities on Thursday dismissed speculation surrounding the deaths of seven far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) candidates ahead of upcoming local elections in the western state of North Rhine Westphalia.

An election commission spokesperson confirmed that a total of 16 candidates from various political parties have died in recent weeks, with AfD candidates accounting for seven of these deaths.

The spokesperson told German news agency DPA that there was no evidence of unusually high mortality, emphasizing that thousands of candidates are competing for approximately 20,000 seats in the Sept. 14 elections.

German police sources informed public broadcaster ARD that their investigations have found no evidence of criminal activity or foul play so far in any of the candidate deaths. Police opened investigations in two cases, but a spokesperson told the broadcaster that this was standard practice when the cause of death is initially unclear.

Online speculation about the deaths, particularly among AfD supporters, had recently gained significant traction, prompting authorities to issue an official clarification.

AfD co-chair Alice Weidel herself drew attention to the deaths on social media. "Four AfD candidates have died," she wrote on Aug. 31, sharing a post from a retired academic who claimed the deaths were "statistically almost impossible."