Hendrik Wüst calls the AfD parliamentary president in Saxony-Anhalt “a deep cut in our republic”

North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) has criticized the election of AfD politician Tobias Rausch as state parliament president in Saxony-Anhalt with votes from other factions as well. He described the process as a “deep cut in our republic.” “Parliament is the heart of our democracy,” said Wüst. "And the fact that it is now led in Saxony-Anhalt by a member of a firmly right-wing extremist party shows that something has started to shake in our country."

There should be “no normalization of extremist thought patterns” in German parliaments, warned Wüst. He demanded clarity and “unity in action” from the Christian Democrats. “We oppose the AfD and its radical positions with all our might,” said the CDU politician. At the same time, the CDU must do everything it can to win back voters for the political center.

On Tuesday, AfD MP Tobias Rausch was elected President of the state parliament in Magdeburg. He not only received the votes of the AfD and BSW MPs as announced, but also four additional votes. It is unclear who they came from - the MPs voted individually and secretly in a voting booth. The CDU vehemently denied that the votes came from its MPs, while Rausch claimed that he had been in contact with CDU MPs who assured him of their votes.

Rausch's election will not be the last test of tension in the parliamentary debate with the extreme fringes on the right and left, said Wüst. “In these cases, we Christian Democrats should always reflect on our view of humanity and act in a united manner based on this.”

The AfD and its MPs are notorious for their disdain for the democratic culture in parliament. “I have considerable doubts that the new state parliament president in Saxony-Anhalt will implement his announcement that he wants to run the office on a non-partisan basis,” said Wüst.