Sachsen-Anhalt: Wagenknecht verteidigt Wahl von AfD-Politiker Rausch zum Landtagspräsidenten

Sahra Wagenknecht, the founder of the BSW (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), defended her party's decision to support AfD candidate Tobias Rausch for the position of Landtag President in Saxony-Anhalt. Wagenknecht argued that the strongest faction of the Landtag should preside over the assembly, and that this should be a given when the party has 44 percent of the voters' support.

She emphasized that this parliamentary norm should no longer be set aside for the AfD. Wagenknecht stated that the BSW had promised a responsible approach towards the AfD and an end to the Brandenburger Mauer (Wall of Brandenburg) before the Landtag election. The newly elected Landtag was set to convene today at 11:00 AM in Magdeburg, with the election of the parliamentary president on the agenda.

The AfD, which won nearly 44 percent of the votes in the Landtag election, wants to elect Rausch, a long-standing member of the party, to the position. If elected, Rausch would be the first AfD Landtag President in Germany. Rausch, 35 years old, is an estate agent by trade and has been a member of the AfD parliamentary group since 2016.

He is also responsible for communication with the other Landtag factions. Demonstrations against the Landtag are planned in Saxony-Anhalt, where the constitutional protection has classified the AfD as securely right-extreme. Civil society alliances have called for a protest at the Landtag, including the reading of the first 20 articles of the German Constitution.

These articles establish core principles of the state, including democracy, social and federal solidarity, popular sovereignty, and the separation of powers. The Landtag election results have shifted significantly, with the AfD securing 39 seats and the CDU, SPD, Greens, and Left winning an equal number of seats. The BSW has five representatives in the Landtag.

The cooperation between the AfD and the BSW in Magdeburg is the first test of whether the two partners can effectively coordinate to implement content projects under an AfD-led government. AfD Co-Fractonchef Ulrich Siegmund described the election of the Landtag President as a "historic day," noting that the AfD had previously been denied a vice-presidency in the parliament in the last five years.

The AfD is proposing a vice-president alongside the president, with Bildungspolitiker Carsten Borchert and Wissenschaftsminister Armin Willingmann as the AfD's candidates. The AfD would need to amend the parliamentary rules to elect a vice-president, so a break would be planned after the election of the Landtag President to discuss possible rule changes.

The Presidium would meet in the break with representatives from all factions to consider potential amendments, after which the parliament would resume the session and proceed with the election of the vice-presidents.