"For the first time since Nazism"
The weekly "Der Spiegel" writes about "a black day in Magdeburg", the capital of Saxony-Anhalt. "The election of AfD politicians to the leadership of the state parliament in Saxony-Anhalt is an alarm signal. The cordon sanitaire (around the AfD) is crumbling, and democrats have less and less time to fight against the extreme right," said Roland Nelles, a commentator of "Spiegel".
"Sad but true: more than 43 percent of voters in Saxony-Anhalt ordered exactly what they got now - for example, the new chairman of the state parliament, Tobias Rausch. For the first time since the Nazi era, the parliament in Germany will be headed by a politician from an extreme right-wing party," we read in "Spiegel."
His deputy, Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, is, according to the commentator, a "political nut" who "relativizes the Holocaust, spreads nationalist ideology and has been a puppet of Russian propaganda for years."
If so many people in Saxony-Anhalt like it, they can't be helped - the politicians mentioned above "do not represent a modern, open to the world, pluralistic country, but its opposite - a dull nationalism with an admixture of nostalgia for the GDR and an autocratic worldview reminiscent of the darkest times in Germany," the weekly warned.
According to "Spiegel", the AfD has come closer to its strategic goal - "to destroy the CDU as a national party and take its place." The government coalition led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz must abandon the "sandbox wars" and finally start governing well. "The black day in Magdeburg is a warning. The situation is serious," wrote the "Spiegel" commentator in conclusion.
"This day will go down in history"
“This day, October 6, will go down in German history,” we read in Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The events in Magdeburg prove that "neither the political system nor values are given once and for all," said Nicolas Richter.
The AfD won the elections despite "targeting foreigners and political rivals with revolutionary zeal." "No other party has used contempt as an instrument of political struggle to such an extent as AfD. And yet it now rules in the state parliament in Saxony-Anhalt," the columnist emphasized.
"SZ" stressed that the election of AfD politicians to the parliamentary leadership does not yet determine who will become the prime minister of Saxony-Anhalt. Regardless, on October 6 it turned out that despite the attempts made by the democratic parties, it was not possible to prevent an extremist party from taking important positions. “The protective layer of civilization is thin,” Eva von Angern, the senior speaker of the Saxony-Anhalt parliament, concluded at the end of “SZ.”
"AfD is now in the middle"
"The limit has been crossed," said the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung". A member of a party considered by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution to be far-right was elected as the highest-ranking representative of a federal state - noted Jasper von Altenbockum. "Attempts to exclude the AfD have backfired. The AfD is now right in the middle," the commentator emphasized.
"FAZ" pointed out that several regional CDU deputies could have voted for the AfD candidate, contrary to the recommendation of the club's head. She also expressed the belief that the candidacy of this party's ideologist, Tillschneider, for the position of deputy head of the state parliament should be considered a provocation.
The German public television ARD called Rausch's election a "strategic breakthrough." Since this autumn, we have been observing in parts of Germany how, step by step, the far-right party is gaining power in the system of parliamentary democracy. The AfD managed to officially fill the highest position in the state, which is a "historic step," the station emphasized.
They have a different opinion
A different position is represented by "Die Welt". “This is not a scandal, but a democracy,” wrote Fatina Keilani. The election of the head of parliament and his deputy was, in her opinion, "actually quite a normal process in a democratic system." "The Land Office for the Protection of the Constitution considers AfD to be an extreme right-wing party, but it is not banned and won the elections last month with a result of almost 44 percent. Being the largest club, it had the right to nominate a candidate for the chairman of parliament," we read in Die Welt. Now it will turn out whether 35-year-old Tobias Rausch is up to the task of being the head of the state parliament - said the author of the article.
Prime Minister candidate Ulrich Siegmund "could not refrain from a certain amount of triumphalism, which should not be surprising." "The AfD politician ran a great election campaign. He was discredited by helpless political opponents as a 'fragrance seller'. Now he has smelled the scent of power and until a new prime minister is elected, no one will mock him," concluded Keilani.
Afd triumphs in Saxony-Anhalt
In the September elections in Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD received 43.8 percent. votes and obtained 39 seats. The new landtag in Magdeburg also includes the CDU with 15 seats, the SPD, the Greens and the Left (eight seats each) and BSW (five). The AfD is three seats short of an independent majority.
In the first two rounds of elections for the Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, an absolute majority of the entire Landtag, i.e. 42 votes, is required. If there is no vote and the Parliament decides not to hold early elections, a majority of the votes cast will suffice in the next round. Those abstaining are not treated as votes cast.
