Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has secured a state parliament speaker position for the first time in the country’s post-World War II history, marking a significant development in the party’s growing political influence.
The state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt elected 35-year-old AfD politician Tobias Rausch as its presiding officer in the first round of voting on Tuesday, according to media reports.
Rausch received 48 votes in favour, 29 against and five abstentions in the secret ballot held in the eastern German city of Magdeburg.
The result gives the AfD control of one of the most prominent parliamentary offices at state level and represents a breakthrough for a party that has faced strong opposition from Germany’s mainstream political parties.
The AfD emerged as the largest political force in Saxony-Anhalt’s September 6 state election, winning 43.8% of the vote. However, the party failed to secure an absolute majority and therefore remains dependent on support from other lawmakers for certain parliamentary decisions.
The election of Rausch was made possible in part by an agreement involving the left-populist BSW, which holds five seats in the state legislature.
The BSW had agreed in advance to support Rausch’s election, arguing that parliamentary tradition dictates that the party with the largest number of seats should be entitled to the speaker’s position.
The AfD and BSW caucuses together have 44 members, although the secret nature of the ballot means that the final result cannot be attributed entirely to their combined support.
The election has nevertheless generated considerable controversy because of the AfD’s classification by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV).
The BfV has classified the AfD organization in Saxony-Anhalt as a confirmed far-right extremist group, making the party's capture of the parliamentary speakership particularly sensitive.
Critics argue that allowing an AfD politician to occupy such a senior parliamentary position risks normalizing a party that security authorities have identified as extremist.
Several mainstream parties had announced before the vote that they would oppose Rausch's election.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens and The Left all said their lawmakers would vote against him.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary leadership of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) recommended that its members abstain rather than support Rausch.
The controversy also reflects the difficult relationship between the CDU and AfD. Although the CDU remains one of Germany’s largest mainstream conservative parties, it has traditionally maintained a political firewall against cooperation with the AfD at the national level.
The latest vote has therefore raised questions about how the growing electoral strength of the AfD could affect political practices at state level.
During the previous legislative term in Saxony-Anhalt, AfD candidates repeatedly failed to secure election as deputy parliamentary speakers. As a result, the vice-speaker position remained vacant.
The successful election of Rausch represents a significant contrast with that earlier experience.
Hundreds Protest in Magdeburg
The vote was accompanied by protests outside the state parliament building in Magdeburg.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered before the opening session, according to the German Press Agency, dpa.
Protesters chanted “Nazis out” and carried banners expressing opposition to any cooperation with the AfD.
Among the messages displayed at the demonstration were “No cooperation with right-wing extremists” and “Never again fascism.”
The protest was primarily directed against the prospect of an AfD politician becoming president of the state parliament.
The demonstrations highlighted the deep divisions surrounding the AfD, particularly in eastern Germany, where the party has established a powerful electoral base.
The party’s strong performance in Saxony-Anhalt’s state election demonstrates the extent of its support in the region, while the protests demonstrate the strength of opposition to its growing political influence.
The election of Rausch does not give the AfD an absolute majority in the state parliament, but the speaker's position carries important institutional significance.
The development is also likely to intensify Germany’s ongoing debate over how established parties should respond to the AfD as it gains electoral support.
For supporters of the AfD, the result represents recognition of the party’s electoral strength and its claim to participate fully in parliamentary institutions.
For its opponents, however, the election represents a dangerous step toward normalizing a political force that German security authorities have classified as extremist.
The historic vote in Saxony-Anhalt therefore marks more than the election of a parliamentary official. It signals the AfD’s growing ability to secure influential positions within Germany’s political institutions and is likely to become an important reference point in the country’s continuing debate over the role of the far right in German politics.
