State parliament elects Germany’s first far-right speaker since second world war

In Saxony-Anhalt, Tobias Rausch of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) was elected speaker of the state parliament on Tuesday, marking the first time a far-right party has held this position in Germany since World War II. Rausch secured 48 out of 82 votes cast. Later, Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, from the AfD's more extreme wing, was elected deputy speaker. The AfD, classified as right-wing extremist by the state's intelligence agency, won nearly 44% of votes in recent elections. The election of Rausch and Tillschneider was facilitated by the support of five MPs from the small leftwing BSW party, who stated it was time to abandon the "firewall" against the AfD. This development raises the possibility of the AfD forming a government in the state.

Tobias Rausch, a candidate from the far-right AfD party, has been elected speaker of the regional parliament in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. This marks the first time a far-right party has held this position since World War Two. Although the role is largely symbolic, Rausch's election is considered a significant development by opponents, who view it as a watershed moment and a crossing of a line. Rausch stated that "political firewalls" should be a thing of the past, rejecting a post-war consensus against working with the far right. The AfD is described as pro-Russian and anti-immigrant, and its members have been classified as "right-wing extremist" by domestic intelligence in Saxony-Anhalt.