The Alternative für Deutschland achieved a historic milestone when Tobias Rausch, a former real estate agent, was elected speaker of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament in voting on Tuesday. The election represents the first time since the second world war that a far-right party has secured this position in a German regional legislature. Rausch won 48 of 82 votes cast, with 29 voting against him and five abstaining. Later that day, Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, representing the AfD’s more hardline faction, was elected as deputy speaker.
The AfD captured nearly 44% of votes in regional elections last month and holds 39 of the parliament’s seats. The party’s success in the ballot has destabilized political conventions in Germany, particularly the informal “firewall” agreement under which other parties typically refuse to cooperate with the AfD. The smaller leftist BSW party, which shares the AfD’s positions on Russia and immigration, pledged support for Rausch ahead of the vote. Four additional MPs from other parties also voted for the 35-year-old candidate, effectively breaking the longstanding political barrier against the group.
BSW founder Sahra Wagenknecht characterized the firewall as “idiocy,” and the party’s deputy leader argued that the support of nearly 44% of voters could not be disregarded. This shift in approach creates possibilities for the AfD to form a state government, an outcome previously considered unlikely. The AfD’s lead candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, has until December to negotiate government formation, though the BSW has indicated conditions for cooperation.
Opposition parties expressed serious concern about the breach of established political norms. Green MP Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz warned that those responsible for elevating representatives of an “extremist and anti-constitutional party” to office would face consequences. Die Linke member Eva von Angern drew historical parallels between the developments and the Weimar era.
The election outcomes have intensified pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who pledged in 2025 to reduce AfD support through economic improvements and stricter immigration policies. Instead, CDU support has declined substantially while AfD backing nationally has reached 30% in recent polling. The state parliament’s inaugural session in Magdeburg marked a significant departure from postwar German political practice.
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