Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt state parliament elects Tobias Rausch, of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), as its speaker (parliamentary president) for the first time since World War II. The vote occurs after AfD’s breakthrough in the September 6, 2026 state elections, when it won 43.8% of the vote, securing the biggest share in the chamber.
Rausch is elected with 48 votes out of 82 cast during a secret ballot. Reporting highlights that this outcome requires votes beyond AfD’s own parliamentary strength, with the left-populist Sarah Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) backing the move. The BSW cites the democratic practice of appointing the largest faction’s representative, while other parties that have pledged a boycott of AfD are said to have supported Rausch despite public opposition.
In the run-up to December elections for the head of the state government, AfD leader Ulrich Sigmund is identified as a candidate. Some outlets note the possibility of wider political implications if taboos against cooperating with the AfD are relaxed, while other reporting points to legal and administrative strain linked to the federal government’s constitutional office classifying the eastern AfD as a “proven right-wing extremist” organization.
