Thuringia's AfD Faction Proposes Muhsal as Potential President of the Landtag
The dominant group in the recent Thuringian state parliament, the AfD, has picked a candidate for the parliamentary president role during the upcoming inaugural meeting next week. As revealed on Wednesday in Erfurt, the AfD will propose MP Wiebke Muhsal for this position. Muhsal, a native of North Rhine-Westphalia, outperformed the CDU's leading candidate, Mario Voigt, in her district during the state election, securing a direct mandate. As the most influential party in the Thuringian AfD, which is recognized as a known right-wing extremist group by the local Office for the Protection of the Constitution, they have the right to propose the presidency according to parliamentary rules.
However, other parliamentary groups reject an AfD representative for the presidential position. The reaction of the AfD in case its candidate fails is yet to be seen. The inaugural meeting is expected to be chaired by the AfD's oldest member, Jürgen Treutler, according to parliamentary rules. To secure the position, a candidate needs a majority in the first and second rounds of voting, meaning more 'yes' votes than 'no'. If this isn't achieved, other groups can propose candidates for subsequent rounds, requiring a simple majority again.
In the event of a deadlock, a runoff election will take place between the top two candidates. The candidate with the most votes will emerge victorious. Concerns have been raised about the possibility of the oldest member rejecting proposals from other parties and potential legal proceedings before the Constitutional Court. On Wednesday, the SPD was the last to establish a faction in the newly elected Thuringian state parliament. The six members unanimously voted for MP Lutz Liebscher as their new faction leader, succeeding Matthias Hey who will continue to be part of the faction but opted out of re-election.
Tuesday saw the re-election of the AfD's state chairman, Björn Höcke, followed by the CDU's re-election of their state chairman, Mario Voigt, the next day. Thursday saw the BSW elect Katja Wolf as their faction leader, and Friday saw the Left elect Christian Schaft as their faction leader. Due to the majority ratios, the formation of the government in Thuringia remains challenging. The AfD, with Björn Höcke as their leader, is the strongest party, but no other party is willing to form a coalition with them.
The CDU is the second-strongest force, followed by the BSW and the Left. The SPD also secured a place in the state parliament, but the Greens and the FDP did not. CDU leader Voigt is aiming for power under his leadership. At the moment, a coalition of CDU, BSW, and SPD appears to be the most likely scenario.
The AfD's proposed candidate for the parliamentary president role, Wiebke Muhsal, faces rejection from other parliamentary groups due to the AfD's right-wing extremist status. Despite the challenges, the AfD expects a majority vote for Muhsal in the inaugural meeting next week.
