Saxony-Anhalt parliament to hold first session after AfD election win
Quick Look
- The newly elected state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt will hold its first session on Tuesday, over four weeks after the AfD won nearly 44% of the vote.
- AfD's Tobias Rausch, 35, is nominated for speaker with BSW support, while other parties maintain a 'firewall' against cooperation.
- Protests are expected as AfD is classified as extremist by state intelligence.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The AfD won nearly 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt's state election, securing 39 seats in the legislature — equal to the combined seats of CDU, Left Party, Greens and SPD. The party has been classified as a 'confirmed extremist' organization by domestic intelligence in the state.
The newly elected state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt is poised to hold its first session on Tuesday more than four weeks after the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won elections there with almost 44% of the vote.
The AfD holds 39 seats in the legislature, the same number of seats as the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Left Party, Greens and Social Democrats (SPD) together.
During the session, parliamentarians are to vote for a speaker, with the AfD, as the strongest force, empowered to nominate the first candidate.
The AfD has put forward long-serving parliamentarian Tobias Rausch, 35, for the post, a choice that the populist BSW, which holds 5 seats, has pledged to back.
All the other parties refuse to work with the AfD under a policy known as the "firewall," and the CDU chairman in the state has advised members of his party to abstain from the vote.
If Rausch is elected, he will become the first AfD speaker of a state parliament in Germany.
However, if he fails to be elected in a first round of voting, all the other parties can put forward their own candidates.
There will be no vote on who will lead the state.
The session will be accompanied by protests by civil society groups who see the AfD, which has been classified as a "confirmed extremist" organization by domestic intelligence in the state, as a danger to Germany's democracy.
DW's newsroom in Bonn wishes all its readers guten Tag as much of Germany continues to experience what is here called a "golden October" of mild, sunny weather.
The new parliament in the eastern state Saxony-Anhalt is poised to sit for the first time after elections there some four weeks ago handed a landslide victory to the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
The session is being watched closely to see whether the AfD succeeds in installing its first speaker in a state parliament in Germany, with the populist BSW party pledging to back the AfD's nomination for the post.
One of Germany's top cultural events, the Frankfurt Book Fair, is also getting underway with preliminary events, including a press conference, before its doors open on Wednesday for specialist visitors.
And Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has warned that the climate crisis could undermine security and fuel new waves of migration as the Berlin Climate and Security Conference kicks off in the capital.
Read on here for more on these and other stories.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Tobias Rausch will not be elected as speaker in the first round of voting due to the 'firewall' policy of other parties.
Likely · Within days
If Tobias Rausch fails to be elected in the first round, other parties will put forward their own candidates for speaker.
Very likely · Within days
Open Questions
- Will Tobias Rausch be elected as speaker in the first round of voting?
- If Rausch fails, which candidate will the opposing parties unite behind?
- How will the protests by civil society groups unfold during the parliamentary session?
- What impact will this development have on future coalition possibilities in Saxony-Anhalt?
