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Germany: Thuringia lawmakers pick CDU speaker, rejecting AfD

September 28, 2024

The parliament in the eastern German state of Thuringia has chosen a member of the conservative CDU as its new speaker. The far-right AfD, which won the most seats, was blocked by all other parties from taking the role.

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Thadäus König, the newly elected president of the State Parliament of Thuringia
König's election as speaker came after paralysis in Thuringia's state parliamentImage: Martin Schutt/dpa/picture alliance

The parliament in the eastern German state of Thuringia elected Thadäus König of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) as its new speaker on Saturday.

The speaker presides over the parliament and has the power to call lawmakers to session at any moment. 

König easily beats AfD nominee, Wiebke Muhsal

König was competing for the speakership against a nominee from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), Wiebke Muhsal. König was able to secure a majority of 54 out of 88 total votes with support from center and far-left parties. 

It comes after the AfD placed first in the September 1 regional election in Thuringia, garnering almost 33% of the vote. The CDU, meanwhile, came in second in that election with almost 24% of the vote. 

As a result of the September 1 vote, the AfD managed to win over a third of all seats in Thuringia's parliament. The AfD thus had priority in putting forward a parliamentary speaker candidate, although the other parties vowed to block the far-right nominee for the post.

On Thursday, Thuringia lawmakers convened to elect a new speaker, but the session erupted in chaos.

Deutschland | Jürgen Treutler (AfD) leitet die konstituierenden Sitzung des Thüringer Landtags
The CDU accused the AfD's Jürgen Treutler of engaging in a "seizure of power" as he chaired over the session to elect a new speaker which spiraled into chaosImage: Martin Schutt/dpa/picture alliance

The parliament's oldest lawmaker, 73-year-old AfD member Jürgen Treutler, chaired the session but refused to allow other lawmakers to speak or propose alternative candidates for the speaker's job.  

AfD politician Wiebke Muhsal takes part in a session of Thuringia's parliament
The AfD's speaker candidate, Wiebke Muhsal, was earlier fined €8,000 (almost $9,000) for fraud Image: Martin Schutt/dpa/picture alliance

Thuringia constitutional court rules against AfD after parliamentary chaos

The CDU complained about Treutler's obstruction and then turned to Thuringia's constitutional court. The court ruled against the AfD, paving the way for the CDU to put forward König as its speaker candidate. 

The AfD in Thuringia is designated as "extremist" by Germany's domestic intelligence agency. The leader of the AfD in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, has also made numerous controversial statements and even criticized Germany's remembrance of the Holocaust. 

German voters give far right first major postwar win

The CDU is currently trying to form a government in Thuringia, bypassing the AfD.

In order to form a ruling coalition in the state, the CDU is negotiating with the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the left-wing populist, anti-immigration Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW).  

wd/ab (AP, dpa) 

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