AfD candidate Rausch elected speaker of German regional parliament for first time
Tobias Rausch of the far-right AfD party has been elected speaker of the Saxony-Anhalt regional parliament in Germany. This marks the first time a far-right politician has held this position since World War II, sparking significant political controversy.
Why it matters
The election signals a potential shift in German political norms and the erosion of the 'firewall' traditionally maintained against far-right parties.
Image source, Reuters Image caption, Tobias Rausch easily won the vote with the backing of nine MPs beyond his own party
A month after Germany's far-right AfD scored a decisive victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, the party's candidate Tobias Rausch has been elected as parliament speaker there too.
Not since World War Two has a far-right party secured the post of speaker, and protesters outside the building in Magdeburg held up banners saying, "Never again is now".
Although the AfD fell three seats short of a majority in last month's election, Rausch, 35, comfortably won Tuesday's vote with the support of 9 MPs from other parties.
"The days of political firewalls should be a thing of the past," Rausch said after the vote, rejecting a post-war consensus in German politics not to work with the far right.
Also covering this story
4 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
State parliament elects Germany’s first far-right speaker since second world war
Far-right election win leaves migrants questioning their future in eastern Germany
AfD candidate elected speaker of German regional parliament for first time
Germany's Far-Right AfD On Path To Take Over State Assembly For 1st Time
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in