AfD's Tobias Rausch confirms election as Saxony-Anhalt parliamentary speaker with CDU votes
AfD member Tobias Rausch said he was elected speaker of the Saxony-Anhalt parliament with the support of CDU deputies.
Tobias Rausch, a 35-year-old AfD lawmaker, affirmed that his election as speaker of the Saxony-Anhalt Landtag was made possible by votes from CDU parliamentarians. Speaking on a live broadcast, he acknowledged explicit arrangements between the two parties that secured his 48-vote win, the first instance of an AfD member serving as a state parliamentary president. The BSW bloc also pledged its support, ensuring a comfortable majority.
Rausch indicated that four CDU deputies have agreed to vote for AfD’s premier candidate Ulrich Siegmund in December, which would give Siegmund the necessary majority. Additional leadership positions were filled, with Hans-Thomas Tillschneider and Carsten Borchert elected as vice-presidents, while the SPD’s candidate failed to gain enough votes.
Why it matters
The election shows unprecedented AfD influence in a German state parliament and could shape the upcoming premier vote.
How this story developed
- Sep 23 Heidenau city council will vote on a motion, supported by CDU and AfD members, to reject two proposed Stolpersteine for Fritz and Martha Goldstein and instead favor a collective memorial at the Nordfriedhof.
- Sep 24 Merz faces mounting pressure after the regional setbacks.
- Sep 24 The Israeli ambassador warned of an “immediate existential threat” to Berlin’s Jewish community over alleged antisemitism in the party.
- Sep 24 After the recent Berlin vote, Die Linke’s pledge to nationalise large landlords has deepened divisions, while its need for a coalition with the Greens and SPD faces scepticism.
- Sep 24 The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance pledged support for the AfD’s speaker nominee, creating a parliamentary majority for the AfD in Saxony‑Anhalt.
- Sep 27 The council has scheduled a vote on the proposed ban.
- Sep 27 SPD and Greens issued a joint warning demanding Die Linke reject antisemitism and clan crime before coalition talks proceed.
- Sep 29 AfD parliamentary group chair Ulrich Siegmund said he will stand for the Minister-President post in the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament in December.
- Oct 3 Tobias Rausch was elected speaker of the Landtag.
- Oct 3 AfD now ahead of the Union in the latest INSA Sunday poll, widening the gap.
- Oct 5 The council moved from debating the proposal to formally approving the resolution that declines new Stolpersteine applications.
- Oct 6 The party moved from campaign rhetoric to a detailed plan to expropriate apartments from eight major landlords.
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