Sachsen-Anhalt: AfD will Landtagspräsidenten in Sachsen-Anhalt stellen

BSW founder Sahra Wagenknecht defended her party's plan to vote for AfD candidate Tobias Rausch as the next Landtag president in Saxony-Anhalt, stating, "The BSW ends the Brandmauer stupidity! The strongest faction of a Landtag should also appoint the Landtag president - with 44 percent voter support, that should be a given." She criticized the AfD for not adhering to parliamentary norms before the Landtag election.

Wagenknecht explained that they are "solving" this issue now. The newly elected Landtag convened today at 11:00 AM in Magdeburg to discuss the election of the parliamentary president. The AfD, which won almost 44 percent of the votes in the Landtag election, proposes Rausch for the position, making him the first AfD Landtag president in Germany if elected.

Rausch, 35 years old and a long-time member of the AfD, has been the party's parliamentary chief of staff since 2016, handling communication with other Landtag factions. Civil society alliances have called for a protest at the Landtag, including reading the first 20 articles of the German constitution. The majority shares in the Landtag changed significantly after the September Landtag election, with the AfD holding 39 seats, equal to the combined seats of CDU, SPD, Grüne, and Linke.

The BSW, represented by five MPs, is seen as the first test of cooperation between the AfD and BSW. They could work together on content projects under an AfD-led government. AfD Co-Fraktionschef Ulrich Siegmund called the election of the Landtag president a "historic day," noting the AfD was denied the vice-presidential position in the parliament over the past five years.

The AfD plans to propose a vice-president alongside the president, requiring a change in the parliament's rules. A break will be taken after the Landtag president's election for the business council to meet with representatives from all factions and discuss possible rule changes. The parliament will then resume the session and proceed with the vice-presidential selection.