AfD politician becomes parliamentary speaker in Saxony-Anhalt
Tobias Rausch becomes the first AfD politician to lead a German state parliament.
Follow-up to: AfD seeks first parliamentary presidency Tuesday, 6 October 2026, 07:43
AfD politician Tobias Rausch was elected president of the parliament of Saxony-Anhalt on Tuesday. This gives the party this senior parliamentary position in Germany for the first time, shortly after its election victory in the eastern state.
Rausch was elected during the first sitting of the new parliament in Magdeburg. The 35-year-old politician has been a member of the state parliament since 2016 and has been parliamentary director of the AfD parliamentary group since 2021. Within the party, he is regarded as an experienced negotiator.
The election had already been announced as a test of the political balance. Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht had pledged its support, while other parliamentary groups opposed an AfD president or intended to abstain. The result shows that Rausch also secured sufficient support outside his own parliamentary group.
The president leads plenary sittings, maintains order and represents the parliament externally. The position also has influence over parliamentary organisation and administration. The president is not head of government and does not independently determine the state’s policies.
The AfD became the largest party in Saxony-Anhalt in September, but did not win a majority. According to Tagesschau, the party is three seats short of being able to form a government alone. The other parties have so far said they do not want to govern with the AfD and will not support its candidate for minister-president.
The new president therefore holds an important symbol, but not control over the state government. The election of a minister-president is not expected until later. Until then, it remains to be seen whether the AfD can organise more sustained support beyond its own parliamentary group.
The AfD’s state branch is classified as right-wing extremist by Saxony-Anhalt’s domestic intelligence service. Rausch himself says he is pragmatic and wants to bring together different interests. His election therefore does not automatically make him a representative of all his party’s positions, but it does give the AfD a visible institutional position.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Tobias Rausch has been elected president of the parliament of Saxony-Anhalt.
- The AfD is the largest parliamentary group, but does not have a majority.
- The AfD’s state branch is classified as right-wing extremist by the regional intelligence service.
- The president leads sittings and has organisational powers, but does not form the government.
Left
Arguments The election gives a party classified as right-wing extremist normalisation and access to a central public office. Democratic institutions should, according to this approach, set limits on parties that exclude minorities or put pressure on the rule of law.
Values Protection of minorities, anti-discrimination and a strong democratic rule of law.
Consequences The left fears that this symbolic step will make the AfD more acceptable and that political opponents and migrants will feel less safe.
Centre
Arguments A parliamentary majority has elected a president within the rules of the state parliament. The institutional role should be assessed by actual conduct, not only by the party label, while oversight and parliamentary scrutiny must remain in place.
Values Procedural legitimacy, administrative continuity and equal application of the rules.
Consequences This approach expects above all a prolonged struggle over cooperation, coalition-building and the limits of parliamentary conduct.
Right
Arguments The AfD is the largest party and should therefore, in this view, also have access to parliamentary offices. Excluding its candidates would, from this perspective, make voters feel that their vote is worth less.
Values Proportional representation, the voters’ mandate and political competition.
Consequences The right stresses that the election makes the AfD responsible for the functioning of parliament, but at the same time fears that institutional exclusion will further radicalise the party.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The core facts have been confirmed by Tagesschau, Deutschlandfunk and AP. Interpretations of the political significance are clearly presented as analysis.
- confirmed Tobias Rausch has been elected president of the parliament of Saxony-Anhalt. — Confirmed by Deutschlandfunk and Tagesschau. source
- confirmed This is the first time an AfD politician has become president of a German state parliament. — Confirmed by Tagesschau and Deutschlandfunk. source
- confirmed The AfD does not have a majority in Saxony-Anhalt and is three seats short. — Confirmed by Tagesschau. source
- confirmed The AfD’s state branch is regarded as right-wing extremist by the intelligence service. — This is how it is described by Tagesschau and is attributed to the intelligence service. source
Editor's note
The election, the parliamentary role and the balance of power have been confirmed by German public media and AP. The precise vote breakdown has not been included because no necessary primary source was available for it.Sources
The story so far
- Sunday, 4 October 2026, 21:00 CDU rules out backing AfD candidate
- Tuesday, 6 October 2026, 07:43 AfD seeks first parliamentary presidency
- Tuesday, 6 October 2026, 13:39 AfD politician becomes parliamentary speaker in Saxony-Anhalt (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „afd duitsland”
- NOS — „afd duitsland”
- Het Parool — „afd duitsland”