AfD candidate Rausch elected speaker of German regional parliament for first time

Key Points:

• Tobias Rausch of the far-right AfD party has been elected speaker of the Saxony-Anhalt parliament, marking the first time since World War Two that a far-right party holds this post in Germany.
• Rausch won the vote with support from nine MPs outside his party, including five from the hard-left BSW and possibly some from the conservative CDU, despite CDU leader Friedrich Merz ruling out cooperation with the AfD.
• The AfD, classified as "right-wing extremist" by domestic intelligence in Saxony-Anhalt, is known for its pro-Russian, anti-immigrant, and anti-LGBT stances, and has plans to segregate child refugees in schools.
• Protesters gathered outside the parliament building condemned the election as a dangerous precedent, while regional Greens leader Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz called it a watershed moment and vowed resistance to rights curtailment.
• Rausch’s new role is largely symbolic but influential, as he will chair debates, control access to the parliament building, and represent the parliament at official events, while AfD leader Ulrich Siegmund aims to become state premier in December.