AfD lawmaker elected speaker of Saxony-Anhalt parliament

Tobias Rausch of Germany’s Alternative for Germany has been elected speaker of the parliament in Saxony-Anhalt, marking the first time since the Second World War that a representative of a party classified as right-wing extremist by Germany’s domestic intelligence service has secured the post. Rausch won 48 votes in Tuesday’s inaugural session, nine more than the AfD’s 39 seats, according to DW. The BBC reported that five votes came from members of the hard-left BSW, while the identities of four additional supporters were not established.

The result has raised particular questions about the role of members of the conservative Christian Democratic Union. Fourteen CDU lawmakers took part in the vote, and five reportedly abstained as planned. One unconfirmed report suggested that four may have voted for Rausch, although all 15 CDU representatives had said beforehand that they would not support the AfD candidate.

Rausch, 35, is a trained estate agent and has served in the regional parliament for a decade. He is regarded as a close ally of AfD state leader Ulrich Siegmund, who is seeking to become state premier in December. Rausch said after his election that he would represent every parliamentary group and that parliamentary rules should apply even when the majority changed.

The AfD’s success follows its strong showing in the September state election. The party emerged as the largest force but fell three seats short of an outright majority, according to the BBC. Its classification as right-wing extremist applies within Saxony-Anhalt and is rejected by AfD leaders.

Rausch’s office is principally procedural and symbolic, but it gives him control over parliamentary debates, access to the state legislature and representation at official events. The AfD also succeeded in moving its parliamentary group from the traditional right-hand side of the chamber to the centre, leaving the CDU, Social Democratic Party, Left Party and Greens around the edges. The election drew protests outside the parliament in Magdeburg.

DW reported that about 500 people gathered in the morning, while the BBC put the later protest crowd at more than 300. Demonstrators carried messages including “No cooperation with the far right” and “Never again is now.” Opposition politicians described the vote as a watershed. Green leader Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz said a line had been crossed and vowed that her party would resist intimidation and restrictions on rights.

The AfD, meanwhile, has argued that the longstanding political firewall against cooperation with it should end. Its influence will be tested again in December, when Siegmund needs 42 votes in the 83-seat chamber to become premier; the BSW has ruled out a coalition with the AfD.