The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is poised to secure its first-ever regional parliament presidency in Saxony-Anhalt through its candidate Tobias Rausch. Backed by the hard-left Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), the move marks a historic shift in post-war German politics. The AfD's rise, coupled with Ulrich Siegmund's bid for state premier, has intensified pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz as his coalition struggles against the AfD's surging national popularity.
AfD election performance and platform
- ▪The Alternative for Germany (AfD) campaigned on a hardline platform that opposed culturally incompatible foreigners and promised to deepen ties with Russia during the September 2026 Saxony-Anhalt election
- ▪The Alternative for Germany (AfD) won nearly 44 percent of the vote in the Saxony-Anhalt regional election on September 6, 2026, securing 39 out of 83 seats in the state parliament
Tobias Rausch's nomination and background
- ▪The Alternative for Germany (AfD) nominated 35-year-old real estate manager Tobias Rausch as its candidate for president of the Saxony-Anhalt regional parliament on October 6, 2026
- ▪Tobias Rausch was previously involved in a nepotism scandal in Saxony-Anhalt where his parliamentary office employed at least four members of a local football club that he chaired
BSW cooperation with the AfD
- ▪The hard-left Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) agreed to support the Alternative for Germany's (AfD) candidate Tobias Rausch for the presidency of the Saxony-Anhalt regional parliament
- ▪The Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) agreed to cooperate on establishing a commission of inquiry into the Saxony-Anhalt state government's policies during the coronavirus pandemic
Ulrich Siegmund's bid for state premier
- ▪The Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) stated it would not elect Ulrich Siegmund as state premier but plans to abstain in the critical third round of voting on the choice of Saxony-Anhalt's state premier to allow a simple majority victory
- ▪The Christian Democratic Union's (CDU) regional leader Sven Schulze insisted on October 5, 2026, that no CDU lawmakers would defect to support Ulrich Siegmund's bid for Saxony-Anhalt's state premier
- ▪Alternative for Germany (AfD) lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund is seeking to become the party's first-ever state premier in Germany by holding a vote in December 2026
National political pressure on Friedrich Merz
- ▪Chancellor Friedrich Merz's federal coalition has been beset by internal disagreements over economic reforms while the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has taken a clear lead in national opinion polls
- ▪The regional election setbacks in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in September 2026 have intensified political pressure on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
AfD's extremist designation
- ▪Germany's domestic intelligence service has officially designated the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt as a right-wing extremist and confirmed extremist organization
- ▪All other political parties have ruled out cooperating with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) due to its right-wing extremist designation
Opposition to AfD presidency
- ▪Police expected demonstrations on October 6, 2026, against the Alternative for Germany holding the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament's presidency, with protests organized by the Social Democrats, Die Linke, and the Greens
- ▪The leader of the far-left Die Linke in Saxony-Anhalt, Eva von Angern, compared the prospect of an AfD speaker to Hermann Goering's role as Reichstag Speaker in the 1930s
Debatable claims
- ▪German political parties should maintain the 'firewall' against the AfD
- ▪Friedrich Merz's political strategy is responsible for the AfD's electoral surge
- ▪The AfD's extremist designation justifies denying the party parliamentary leadership roles
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