Far right AfD wins first state parliament speaker post in Saxony Anhalt

The far-right Alternative for Germany party gained its first state parliament speaker in Saxony-Anhalt on Tuesday, according to AFP and Xinhua. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Tobias Rausch, 35, was elected speaker of the state parliament in Magdeburg, making him the first far-right politician to take a state parliament speaker role since World War Two. [4][6][10]

DW reported that center-right Christian Democratic Union lawmakers may have voted for the AfD candidate. Social Democrats warned that the potential voting cooperation constituted a unique breach of taboos, according to DW. FTMQ News reported earlier that Rausch won the parliamentary vote with the backing of nine lawmakers from other political parties. [1][10]

The vote occurred despite prior internal agreements and the explicit insistence of the CDU leadership, DW reported. DW and Xinhua both reported that the parliamentary election took place in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Meanwhile, Reuters and the Bradenton Herald reported that the AfD continues to struggle to form its first state government despite its election victories. [1][2][3][6]

Radical right and populist right political parties in Europe typically oppose globalisation, immigration, and the European Union, while criticizing multiculturalism. As FTMQ News reported earlier, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has led the federal government since May 2025. [8][11]