Europe06 October, 20262 min read
AfD Elects Tobias Rausch Speaker In Saxony-Anhalt State Parliament
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AfD elected Saxony-Anhalt state parliament speaker, first far-right to hold such post since 1945 Tobias Rausch elected speaker with 48 votes for, 29 against
AfD wins speaker role
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) became Germany's first far-right party to win the post of speaker in a state parliament since World War II, when its candidate was elected in Saxony Anhalt. Tobias Rausch won 48 votes with only 29 against and five abstentions as lawmakers gathered for the first time Tuesday in Magdeburg to elect a speaker. The AfD won the state election on 6 September with 43.8 percent and now holds 39 of the 83 seats, leaving the party short of the absolute majority that candidate Ulrich Siegmund had aimed for.
The AfD convened for the first sitting of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament on Tuesday but still lacked a clear path to forming what would be its first state government. Siegmund aimed to win parliamentary backing to become state premier in a first round of voting that he said would only take place in December.
Firewalls and BSW votes
A political system where mainstream parties have refused to cooperate with the AfD under a "firewall" policy has left the impasse dogged the party for years. About 400 protesters gathered peacefully outside the state parliament in Magdeburg and read aloud Germany's constitution, with dozens holding up a long red banner that read: "No cooperation with the extreme right." The AfD elected Tobias Rausch as president of the state parliament with support from the left-wing populist BSW, and Reuters quoted Rausch calling on lawmakers to work together, adding that "the days of political firewalls should be a thing of the past".
The AfD's state branch in Saxony-Anhalt is classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist organisation by the state office for the protection of the constitution, the domestic intelligence agency. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), with five deputies, has announced it will back Rausch, while the conservative CDU, the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the Left Party intend to vote against the AfD candidate.
Pressure on Merz, December
The AfD's success in Saxony-Anhalt and two other state elections in September has put Chancellor Friedrich Merz's struggling government under pressure and raised questions within his conservatives about the effectiveness of the firewall. The AfD has been working for weeks to win over lawmakers from Merz's party, whose support halved from the last state election, but no defections have been announced so far. The next step toward taking power occurred on Tuesday, when lawmakers were sworn in and elected the AfD’s Tobias Rausch as president of the Parliament.
The anonymous vote produced 48 lawmakers voting for Mr. A higher hurdle awaits in December, when the state Parliament is expected to fill the most powerful state position, minister president, with control of the executive branch.