AfD Candidate Rausch Becomes First Far-Right Speaker of a German State Parliament Since 1945
Tobias Rausch of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was elected speaker of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament on October 6, 2026, marking the first time a far-right party has held this position in a German state legislature since 1945. Rausch, 35, won with 48 votes in an 83-seat chamber, despite the AfD holding only 39 seats. His victory relied on support from the far-left Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) and four unidentified lawmakers from other parties, breaking the post-war 'firewall' consensus against cooperating with the AfD. The AfD’s September election victory in Saxony-Anhalt, where it won 44% of the vote, set the stage for this breakthrough. The next major test is in December, when AfD leader Ulrich Siegmund will seek to become state premier, though the BSW has stated it will not support him. The election has intensified debates over the normalization of the AfD and sparked protests in Magdeburg.