German State Elects First Alternative for Germany Speaker
Tobias Rausch was elected speaker of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament on Tuesday. He won 48 of the 82 votes cast in the first round.
He is a member of the Alternative for Germany party. It was a first for any German state since World War II.
The vote took place during the new parliament's first sitting. The party won 39 of 83 seats in the September 6 election.
That was three seats short of a majority. The BSW party had said it would back Rausch.
It held five seats. Together the two parties held 44 seats.
Rausch won four more votes than that. The vote was by secret ballot.
Klear Note — A state parliament makes laws and oversees government in its region.
Key Terms 3
- Speaker The person who leads a parliament and runs its meetings.
- BSW A German political party that held five seats in the Saxony-Anhalt parliament.
- Secret ballot A vote where nobody can see how each person voted.