- The potential ability of the AfD to hinder significant decisions.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) now has the potential to impede significant decisions and elections in both the legislative bodies of Saxony and Thuringia states due to their impressive electoral victories.
As per the provisional figures, the party is projected to hold over a third of the seats in the Thuringia legislative body, thereby gaining a so-called veto power – 32 seats out of a total 88. In Saxony, while it was a closer contest, they still managed to secure sufficient seats – 41 seats out of a total 120.
The importance of AfD's veto power
If the AfD possesses veto power, certain regional laws requiring a two-thirds majority of all members to be approved cannot be implemented without the far-right parliamentarians' approval.
In Saxony and Thuringia, like other federal states, judges for constitutional courts and the heads of state auditing bodies are elected via a two-thirds majority vote of all parliamentarians. Consequently, some of these positions might not be filled without the AfD's consent. Moreover, these legislative bodies cannot disband themselves.
According to the Thuringia legislative body's rules of procedure, the parliamentary president or his deputies can only be ousted by a two-thirds majority of all members. Individuals in the judicial appointments committee, responsible for deciding on judges' lifetime appointments in the state, must be elected by a two-thirds majority of the members present during the plenary session.
In Saxony, chairpersons of individual parliamentary committees can only be removed by at least two-thirds of the legislative body.
The AfD's veto power in the European Parliament could potentially challenge major decisions and resolutions, as they might use their influence to block policies alignment with the vetoed regional laws in Saxony and Thuringia. The European Parliament might need the AfD's approval to appoint judges for constitutional courts and heads of state auditing bodies in these states, due to the two-thirds majority requirement.
