AfD lawmaker Tobias Rausch elected Saxony-Anhalt parliament president with 48 votes

Secret ballot in Magdeburg

The Saxony-Anhalt state parliament convened on Tuesday for its inaugural post-election sitting in Magdeburg, required by the state constitution within 30 days of the 6 September election. Tobias Rausch, a 35-year-old real estate entrepreneur and Alternative for Germany (AfD) lawmaker who entered the legislature in 2016, won election as Landtag president. Rausch secured 48 votes in the secret ballot out of 82 cast, with 29 deputies voting against and five abstaining. His victory required external backing, as the AfD holds 39 seats and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) holds five, meaning four additional votes came anonymously from members of other parties. The legislature subsequently elected AfD politician Hans-Thomas Tillschneider as vice president with 44 votes in favour and 38 against. All parliamentary groups agreed that the chamber will continue to have three vice presidents.

In favour48

Against29

Abstentions5

In favour

48

Against

29

Abstentions

5

Data from the article text

Chamber debate and rule revisions

Taking the presidential seat, Rausch pledged to conduct the office impartially while overseeing legislative debates and external representation. The proceedings addressed a procedural change to reverse an April rule that barred the president's party from nominating candidates for vice president posts. Green faction leader Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz addressed the assembly before the vote, stating that electing a member of a party classified as unconstitutional crossed a critical line. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution categorises the Saxony-Anhalt AfD branch as confirmed right-wing extremist. Earlier in the year, Rausch rejected allegations of nepotism after mainstream parties scrutinised temporary employment contracts given to his siblings by a Bundestag lawmaker.

“I will not lead this office as the president of a faction, but I will lead it as president of the entire Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt.”

Government formation plans for December

The AfD won 43.8% of the vote on 6 September, leaving the party three seats short of an absolute majority in the Magdeburg assembly. AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund announced that the vote for state premier will take place in December, giving the party time to build external backing. Siegmund attended the opening session carrying a mug reading "tears of the left" and stated that he will only participate in the initial round of voting once he secures support. On the Domplatz outside the parliament building, between 400 and 500 demonstrators gathered with banners reading "No cooperation with the extreme right" while reciting constitutional provisions on asylum rights.

“The days of political firewalls should be a thing of the past.”

Party reactions to the cross-bench vote

Social Democratic Party General Secretary Tim Klüssendorf urged the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to investigate whether any of its members provided the four anonymous votes for Rausch. Klüssendorf argued that political parties carry a responsibility to keep extreme-right groups away from executive power, while criticising BSW for supporting the AfD candidate. Left party lawmaker Eva von Angern stated that parliamentary standards in Magdeburg had deteriorated since the AfD entered the chamber. During Tuesday's session, AfD lawmakers chose to sit in the centre benches of the parliament rather than on the traditional right flank.