Germany’s First Far-Right Speaker Elected in Saxony-Anhalt Parliament
Magdeburg – Tobias Rausch was elected president of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament on Tuesday, becoming the first representative from a far-right party to hold such a position in Germany since the Second World War. The election took place during the inaugural gathering of members in the state capital, with Rausch securing 48 votes out of 82 cast in the first round. Twenty-nine legislators voted against him and five abstained. Rausch, a former estate agent representing the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), won the support of his party’s 39 seats along with five members of the leftwing BSW party and four other independent MPs.
The result signals a significant shift in German politics, as it breaks the long-standing "firewall," a moral agreement among mainstream parties to isolate the AfD. The BSW’s decision to support Rausch followed statements by its founder, Sahra Wagenknecht, who declared that maintaining the firewall was an act of "idiocy." Christian Leye, the BSW deputy, told German media that ignoring the nearly 44% of voters who supported the AfD was no longer viable, arguing for an intelligent engagement with the party’s program rather than exclusion.
Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, a figure associated with the more extreme wing of the AfD, was elected as Rausch’s deputy later in the day. He received 44 votes, despite the BSW stating it would not support him. Tillschneider, described by the state’s intelligence agency as part of a rightwing extremist group, is slated to become the culture and science minister. He has previously referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as having "a sound set of values" and made controversial remarks about Islam and immigration.
In his acceptance speech, Rausch promised to represent all voices and make decisions transparently. He was applauded by AfD and BSW members, while other MPs remained silent. Rausch has been involved in a nepotism scandal regarding the employment of family members in the parliament, which he denied, though he confirmed employing players from his local football club. He is a close ally of Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD’s lead candidate, who is positioning himself to take over as leader of Saxony-Anhalt.
Siegmund has until December to form a government, stating that negotiations are proceeding well. However, the path to power remains complex. The BSW has indicated it will only support an AfD-led parliament if a nonpartisan figure leads it, a condition the AfD rejects. Meanwhile, CDU leaders deny claims that they are courting AfD members to break the firewall.
The election outcome places immense pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU). Merz had pledged to halve AfD support by improving the economy and reducing immigration, yet national polls show AfD support has surged to 30% while CDU support has halved. Opposition MPs expressed deep concern over the breach of the firewall. Green MP Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz warned that those investing an extremist party with this office bear responsibility for the consequences. Eva von Angern of the Die Linke party drew parallels between Rausch’s election and Hermann Göring’s use of the Reichstag presidency in the 1930s to facilitate Adolf Hitler’s rise.
This report was produced in the Europe Brief News newsroom.
