AfD candidate for state parliament president in Saxony-Anhalt before election

The Saxony-Anhalt co-party leader of the AfD, Ulrich Siegmund, expects Tuesday to be a “historic day for Saxony-Anhalt and for Germany”. If everything goes according to the agreements, the first AfD state parliament president will be elected. Siegmund also pointed out that the AfD had been denied the position of vice president in parliament for five years.

“It is now becoming apparent that this one-way street is finally changing,” said Siegmund on Monday before the AfD parliamentary group meeting. "It's good that this infantile, childish firewall continues to crumble. And as a result, what will happen here in Saxony-Anhalt tomorrow is also crucial for the political future of the whole of Germany."

The state parliament will be constituted in Magdeburg on Tuesday. Then the presidium should be re-elected. The AfD MP Tobias Rausch would like to become President of the State Parliament; the AfD parliamentary group has nominated him unanimously. The AfD has 39 members in parliament. The CDU, Left, Greens and SPD together also have 39 seats. The BSW is represented by 5 representatives. For a majority in parliament, 42 votes are needed.

The BSW in Saxony-Anhalt confirmed that it would obtain the majority for the first AfD state parliament president on Tuesday. “As a first sign that we respect parliamentary customs, we will elect the AfD candidate for state parliament president tomorrow,” said BSW parliamentary group leader Thomas Schulze in Magdeburg. The AfD was elected with almost 44 percent, it is the strongest force and according to the rules of procedure it is entitled to the position of President of the State Parliament. “And we have to respect that,” emphasized Schulze.

CDU parliamentary group leader Sven Schulze said that the state executive committee had recommended that MPs abstain from the election of the state parliament president. When asked why, Schulze referred to the AfD and BSW majority, and the CDU's votes were not important.

The Greens, SPD and Left clearly reject an AfD parliamentary president. The SPD has proposed Science Minister Armin Willingmann for the office of Vice President. The CDU is sending education politician Carsten Borchert into the race as running mate.

AfD election winner Siegmund criticized the two candidates. He notes “a certain analogy in some parties, that it is those who already have certain mandates who then obviously have to secure parallel mandates.” After all, Schulze, who is still Prime Minister, is now also the parliamentary group leader. “It’s quite an adventurous constellation.”