From Timișoara to the AfD leadership in Germany: Who is Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, the ideologue who wants to change Saxony-Anhalt

Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, a politician from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party born in Timișoara, is considered the party’s chief ideologue in Saxony-Anhalt, where the far right could win Sunday’s regional elections.

AfD exceeds 40% in some polls and could become the first far-right party to form a German regional government after World War II.

Tillschneider, 48, comes from a family of ethnic Germans. He studied Islamic studies and philosophy in Freiburg and Leipzig, then lived in Damascus before completing his doctorate in Germany. He is known for his radical, anti-immigration and pro-Russian positions.

The politician has supported ending sanctions against Russia, visited Moscow and Kaliningrad, and promotes the introduction of more Russian-language classes in schools. The AfD’s state program also proposes restricting LGBTQ+ rights, disputes measures against global warming, and denounces art considered “anti-German.”

If the party wins, Tillschneider could take charge of the Ministry of Education, turning Saxony-Anhalt into a laboratory for the extremist agenda and the normalization of radical rhetoric.