BMW withdraws vehicle lease for AfD politician Tobias Rausch

BMW has withdrawn a leasing offer for a service vehicle intended for Tobias Rausch, the newly elected President of the Saxony-Anhalt State Parliament from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The decision to terminate the lease for a 7 Series vehicle was communicated by BMW headquarters to the state parliament administration on the same day Rausch was elected.

While BMW declined to provide a specific reason, stating they do not comment on individual customer relationships, the move follows recent remarks by BMW CEO Milan Nedeljković. In a previous interview, Nedeljković described right-wing populism and nationalism as “poison for an open business location that depends on global trade.”

Tobias Rausch is the first AfD politician to be elected as a state parliament president in Germany. The current leasing agreement is set to expire at the end of November.