Saxony-Anhalt’s new parliament was due to open on Tuesday with AfD nominee Tobias Rausch seeking the speaker’s chair after the party won nearly 44 percent of the vote and 39 of 83 seats.
The newly elected state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt was due to hold its first session on Tuesday, with the Alternative for Germany seeking the speaker’s post, dpa reported. The party nominated Tobias Rausch, 35, a trained property manager who has sat in the AfD group since 2016.
AfD won almost 44 percent last month and holds 39 of 83 seats, short of an absolute majority. Die Zeit said Rausch needs an absolute majority of votes cast and that the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance has said it will support him. Together those votes would be enough if they hold.
Mainstream parties still refuse cooperation under the firewall policy, dpa said. Saxony-Anhalt’s domestic intelligence agency has classified the state AfD as a confirmed far-right extremist organisation. If elected, Rausch would be the first AfD speaker of a German state parliament.
As of the morning reports, the vote had not yet been declared. Die Zeit noted uncertainty over whether the CDU would take part in the ballot.
The session is the first institutional test of September’s eastern state result, not a change in federal government.