Söder Calls for CDU Members Who Voted for AfD Speaker to Identify Themselves

Bavaria's conservative leader, Markus Söder, has urged members of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who voted for an Alternative for Germany (AfD) parliamentary speaker to come forward. Söder, a member of the CSU, the Bavarian sister party of Chancellor Merz's CDU, made these remarks during an interview with public broadcaster ARD. He was referring to CDU members in Saxony-Anhalt who are believed to have supported Tobias Rausch of the AfD in a secret ballot. Rausch was elected as the state parliamentary speaker last week, marking the first time an AfD member has held such a position and the first time a right-wing extremist has achieved this rank in postwar Germany. The populist BSW party had announced their support for Rausch's nomination, but his election with 48 votes suggests that additional lawmakers, likely from the CDU, also voted for him. This election has sparked outrage across Germany, including from CDU members who have accused their colleagues of violating the 'firewall' agreement among mainstream parties not to support the AfD. Söder criticized the actions of the CDU members in Saxony-Anhalt, stating they should have the integrity to publicly acknowledge their decision. In related news, Bärbel Bas has resigned as co-leader of the SPD and as federal labor minister, citing 'open attacks' from CDU members and a recent death in her family as factors in her decision.