AfD member elected head of German regional parliament for first time

In Germany, Tobias Rausch, a member of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, was elected speaker of the Saxony-Anhalt parliament. This is the first time since 1945 that a far-right party has won such a post in the country.

Deputies of the Saxony-Anhalt regional parliament gathered for the first time since the AfD's victory in September elections. In the vote on Tobias Rausch, 48 MPs supported him and 29 voted against him.

The AfD won the state parliament elections on September 6 with 43.8 percent of the vote and now holds 39 of its 83 seats. Being the largest parliamentary faction, the party received the right to nominate a candidate for the post of chairman of parliament.

The President conducts plenary meetings and meetings of the Council of Elders, as well as directs the parliamentary apparatus. Political analyst Nicholas Spohn told Focus magazine that the chairman's powers concern "primarily procedural issues and competencies related to the rules of Parliament.".

The political scientist notes that it is unclear how exactly the speaker from the AfD party will perform his duties. Tobias Rausch himself described his political style as “I am not a hardliner, I am a pragmatist.” He also said he intended to "take into account the interests of all parties as far as possible.".

Eugene Hvostik