AfD secures deputy speaker post in Saxony-Anhalt after historic parliament vote

Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, a member of the Alternative for Germany's more hardline wing, has been elected deputy speaker of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament. The vote came after Tobias Rausch was chosen as speaker in Magdeburg, giving the party two senior posts in the chamber on the same day. The result adds to a breakthrough that has already been described as the first time a far-right party has secured the speaker's role in a regional parliament in Germany since World War Two.

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Tillschneider won 44 votes, although it was not immediately clear who backed him. The BSW, a small left-wing party that has echoed some AfD positions on Russia and immigration, had said it would not vote for him. The AfD won nearly 44% of the vote in last month's state election, leaving it short of an outright majority but in a strong position in the new parliament.

The outcome matters because it suggests some lawmakers were willing to break the informal firewall that has long kept mainstream parties from cooperating with the AfD. That convention has been central to post-war German politics, and the latest vote raises fresh questions about how far the party's influence can extend inside formal state institutions. The AfD is classified as right-wing extremist by Saxony-Anhalt's domestic intelligence agency, a label rejected by party leaders.

The speaker and deputy speaker posts are largely symbolic, but they carry practical authority in running parliamentary business and representing the chamber. Rausch's election had already prompted criticism from opponents, who said a line had been crossed. The new deputy speaker vote strengthens the party's position at the start of the legislature and comes as the AfD seeks to turn its electoral strength in the eastern state into institutional power.

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What remains unclear is how many other lawmakers supported Tillschneider and whether the pattern seen in the secret ballot will recur in future votes. It is also not yet clear whether the new leadership arrangement will change the working tone of the parliament or the wider balance of power in Saxony-Anhalt. The next test will be whether the AfD can convert this breakthrough into broader governing influence in the state.

The far-right Alternative for Germany has secured the speaker's post in the parliament of Saxony-Anhalt, in a vote that marks the first time since World War Two that a far-right party has taken the role in the chamber. Tobias Rausch, the party's candidate, won the ballot in Magdeburg on Tuesday as newly elected regional lawmakers met for the first time after last month's state election. Protesters gathered outside the building and held banners reading, "Never again is now." Rausch, 35, won comfortably with support from nine members of parliament beyond his own party, according to the report.

The AfD fell three seats short of a majority in the election, but still emerged as the strongest force in the chamber. After the vote, Rausch said the "days of political firewalls should be a thing of the past," rejecting the post-war convention in German politics that has kept mainstream parties from working with the far right. The result has drawn sharp criticism from opponents in the region.

Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz, the Greens' regional leader, said "a line has been crossed" and described the vote as a watershed moment. She said her party would not be intimidated and would not stand by if rights were curtailed, either in the parliament or for people in the state. The speaker's role is largely symbolic, but it carries practical authority, including chairing debates, controlling access to the parliament building and representing the chamber at official events.

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The vote matters beyond Saxony-Anhalt because it touches on one of the central taboos of post-war German politics: the refusal to normalise cooperation with the far right. The AfD is viewed by critics as anti-immigrant and pro-Russian, and in Saxony-Anhalt it is also classified by domestic intelligence as right-wing extremist, a label rejected by party leaders. Its success in the speaker election suggests that the party's influence in the eastern state is extending beyond electoral gains into the formal structures of parliament.

Rausch has been a member of the state parliament for 10 years and is described as a close confidant of local AfD leader Ulrich Siegmund. Siegmund is now seeking to become state premier in December, adding to the significance of the party's advance in the region. Until now, AfD members had sat on the right fringe of the chamber, but ahead of Tuesday's inaugural session the party argued successfully that it should now sit in the centre.

What remains unclear is how much further support the AfD can attract from other lawmakers in future votes, and whether Tuesday's result will affect the working tone of the new parliament. Commentators were already asking how four unidentified MPs also backed Rausch, beyond the five from the hard-left BSW who were expected to support him. The next test will be whether the chamber's new leadership changes the balance of power in Saxony-Anhalt's politics or remains mainly symbolic. seo_description: Tobias Rausch of the AfD has been elected speaker of Saxony-Anhalt's parliament, the first far-right speaker in the chamber since World War Two, prompting protests in Magdeburg. keywords_csv: AfD, Tobias Rausch, Saxony-Anhalt, Magdeburg, German parliament country: Germany latitude: 52.13 longitude: 11.63 severity_level: MEDIUM severity_score: 62 severity_reason:

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