Saxony-Anhalt: first ever AfD parliamentary speaker
After the AfD's election victory in Saxony-Anhalt, a member of the party – which is classified there as far-right extremist – has, for the first time in Germany, been elected as parliamentary speaker in the state parliament. Tobias Rausch received 48 out of 82 votes during the parliament's first constituent session. In addition to the AfD and BSW parliamentary groups, four representatives from other parties also voted for Rausch. Commentators take stock and examine the possibility of the AfD forming a government.
Ominous turning point
This election lies outside the political norm, the Handelsblatt points out:
“The office is now occupied by a party which has nothing but contempt for the state, which effectively makes it the guardian of an institution which it very likely wants to eliminate. ... Which is why the electoral victor Ulrich Siegmund of the AfD was probably right when he spoke of a turning point, but this would be an ominous one. The party's efforts to discredit its political opponents and sabotage parliamentary debates with heckling and appalling speeches were not limited to the election campaign. It is therefore very hard to imagine that the new AfD president of the state parliament will chair debates fairly and uphold the dignity of the parliament.”
Small state, big impact
Gazeta Wyborcza examines the implications of the AfD politician's election to president of the state parliament:
“Although Saxony-Anhalt has a population of just over two million, the AfD taking power in this state would have far more than just symbolic significance. The state government decides who is appointed to public prosecutor posts and, indirectly, to judicial posts as well. Its responsibilities extend to education and cultural policy. ... Many see Rausch's election and the AfD's symbolic shift to the centre of the state parliament as part of a process of normalisation for the AfD, whose policies are gaining ground in the mainstream.”
Chance to renew dialogue with Russia
The pro-Kremlin Isvestia speculates on the foreign policy initiatives of an AfD-led Saxony-Anhalt:
“German Federal states are not authorised to conduct their own diplomatic activities. ... But a state government can support local businesses in looking for international partners, building partnerships between cities, organising international events and much more. In view of the collapse of Russian-German relations, even the smallest steps by Saxony-Anhalt's government towards a normalisation of the dialogue with Russia will contrast sharply with the confrontational approach pursued by Berlin.”
Backlash triggered by disregard
Philosopher Francis Fukuyama draws a comparison in NV to the US Maga movement:
“In my memoir, I had argued that one explanation for the rise of populist-nationalist parties like the AfD in Germany and Trump's MAGA movement in the U.S. was less the failure to distribute material goods than the distribution of equal respect which led to a backlash of anger on the part of populations who felt disregarded and socially marginalized. ... Younger, less educated men in particular saw their social status decline in the liberal culture brought on after unification. In both countries, young men have joined hands with the elderly nostalgic for the past in opposing mainstream parties that they feel have ignored and disrespected them.”