FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Germany’s anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party has elected a 44-year-old member of its parliamentary delegation as the party’s co-chairman.

The dpa news agency reported Tino Chrupalla was elected by a party conference in Braunschweig on Saturday to succeed Alexander Gauland as co-head of the party. Gauland did not seek re-election and backed Chrupalla. Gauland, 78, remains co-chair of the party’s delegation in the federal parliament, the Bundestag.

Joerg Meuthen was re-elected as the other party co-chair.

Chrupalla’s election was seen as an attempt to bring about a smooth succession and reduce intra-party squabbling, as occurred between Meuthen and former party co-chair Frauke Petry, who has since left the party.