AfD Breaks Sanitary Cordon, Wins Sajonia-Anhalt Parliament Presidency

Tobias Rausch of the AfD has been elected president of the Sajonia-Anhalt regional parliament with 48 votes in a secret ballot. This marks the first time the party holds a regional parliament presidency in Germany.

## A Result Surpassing Own Seats

The Sajonia-Anhalt regional parliament has a new president: **Tobias Rausch**, **35 years** old and a member of **AfD**. The vote was secret and passed with **48 votes**, nine more than the **39 seats** the party won in the **September 6** elections.

AfD was the most voted force in those elections, with **39 deputies**, just three short of an absolute majority. Rausch's election breaks what is known as the sanitary cordon: the isolation applied by traditional German parties to the formation for years.

## The Support That Made the Majority Possible

In addition to **39 AfD deputies**, **nine** from other formations joined. **BSW**, with **five seats**, had announced it would vote in favor. The parliamentary group leadership of **CDU** had recommended abstention from its **15 members**, but only **five abstentions** were recorded.

Rausch now presides over the chamber of a German federal state. In his first intervention, he stated he would not serve "as the president of a parliamentary group, but as the president of the entire state parliament."

## What It Means for the Sanitary Cordon

The parliament presidency is an institutional role, not a government one. The holder directs debates and represents the chamber, but does not form an executive or appoint counselors. Nevertheless, electing an AfD member to this position is a step previously und taken in any federal state.

The sanitary cordon remains in place for forming governments, but this result shows the barrier is not uniform. The secret vote allowed deputies from other groups to support Rausch without leaving a record of who they were. The figure speaks for itself: **48 votes** against the **39** AfD held alone.