Tobias Rausch, a candidate from Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, has been elected as the speaker of the regional parliament in Saxony-Anhalt, marking the first time a member of the party has held such a post since World War II. Rausch secured the position on Tuesday with the support of 9 MPs from other parties, despite the AfD falling short of a majority in the recent state election.
Protesters outside the parliament building in Magdeburg held banners that read, "Never again is now," expressing dissent against the election. The AfD, which is considered pro-Russian and anti-immigrant, has proposed policies such as segregating child refugees in schools and has been described as intolerant towards the LGBT community.
Regional Greens party leader Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz called the election a watershed moment, stating that "a line has been crossed." She added, "We will not let ourselves be intimidated, and we will not sit by when rights are curtailed either here or for people in the state."
Rausch, 35, rejected the post-war political consensus in Germany that has largely excluded the far-right from power, declaring, "The days of political firewalls should be a thing of the past."
Domestic intelligence classifies the AfD within Saxony-Anhalt as "right-wing extremist," a designation that party leaders dispute. Prior to Tuesday's inaugural session, the party successfully argued for its members to be seated in the center of the state parliament, rather than at the fringes. Although Rausch's role as speaker is largely symbolic, opponents view the outcome as a significant shift in the regional political landscape.