Tobias Rausch of the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has been elected as the speaker of the Saxony-Anhalt regional parliament, making the AfD the first far-right party to hold such a position in Germany since the Second World War. Rausch, a former estate agent, secured 48 votes out of 82 cast in the first round of voting on Tuesday in Magdeburg, the state capital.
Later on Tuesday, Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, described as part of the AfD’s more extreme wing, was elected as Rausch’s deputy. Tillschneider received 44 votes. The AfD, which is classified as “rightwing extremist” by the eastern state’s intelligence agency, won nearly 44% of votes in elections last month.
The BSW, a small leftwing party, had indicated it would vote for Rausch, with its founder Sahra Wagenknecht stating it was time to end “firewall idiocy.” Opposition MPs have expressed concern over the breaching of the “firewall,” an agreement among other parties to shun the AfD.