Tobias Rausch of Alternative for Germany was elected president of Saxony-Anhalt's state parliament. In a secret ballot, 82 valid votes were cast: 48 deputies voted yes, 29 voted no and five abstained. [E1][E2] The result met the majority the chamber requires. [E6]
He is the first AfD politician to hold a Landtag presidency in Germany; the 35-year-old drew four more yes votes than AfD and BSW have together. [E7] AfD had put him forward for the politically highest office in the state. [E4]
A Landtag president represents the state in parliamentary affairs, runs the chamber's business, chairs proceedings fairly and impartially, and maintains order in the house. [E5]
The new vice-presidents are Hans-Thomas Tillschneider of AfD and Carsten Borchert of the CDU. [E3] Tillschneider received 44 yes votes in the first ballot, and 38 deputies voted no. [E9] Armin Willingmann, the SPD candidate, did not prevail, on 33 yes votes to 48 no. [E3]
SPD general secretary Tim Klüssendorf, referring to the so-called Brandmauer, the firewall against AfD, said the CDU must now clarify who among its ranks possibly considered this fatal decision right. [E8]