Saxony-Anhalt’s state parliament elected Tobias Lausch, the Alternative for
Germany (AfD) candidate, as speaker on Oct. 6, winning 48 of 82 votes. This is
the first time an AfD candidate has been chosen to lead a state parliament. Four
MPs from mainstream parties voted for Lausch; analysts say the result breaks the
traditional parties’ firewall policy in Saxony-Anhalt of refusing to cooperate
with the AfD.
