The BSW faction in Saxony-Anhalt confirmed Monday evening that it will not vote for the AfD candidate vying for the post of Vice President during Tuesday’s constituent session of the state parliament. Claudia Wittig, the BSW deputy faction leader, stated to the news portal T-Online, “We will not vote for Hans-Thomas Tillschneider.” Wittig further criticized him, calling him “not just a darling of the German arms industry, but the opposite of a balancing and presidential personality” and asserted that Tillschneider should not represent the Magdeburg state parliament. This decision follows the AfD faction announcing on Monday afternoon its support for Tillschneider for the post of Vice President.
Conversely, for the election of the state parliament President, the BSW will continue to lend its support to the AfD candidate, Tobias Rausch. Wittig clarified the faction’s approach, stating, “Rausch, yes; Tillschneider, no. The BSW does not give the AfD a blank check for its candidate proposals, but rather decides in a differentiated, case-by-case manner.” She warned that anyone who champions arms manufacturers and seeks to restrict freedom of speech-for instance, through “patriotic declarations”-will not receive a vote from the BSW.
