First far-right victory in German regional elections since WWII projected for anti-migration AfD party

1 September 2024, 19:39

Alternative for Germany (AfD) is projected to become the first far-right party to win a German state election since the Second World War, an exit poll has suggested.

The anti-migration and anti-Europe party picked up the most votes in the eastern state of Thuringia with 33.5 per cent, according to exit polls.

The centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is projected to win just 23.4 per cent of the votes by comparison.

The regional votes will be the first time such a party has won a state election since the days of the Nazi party - before the nation fell under dictatorship.

Despite the notional victory, the AfD is likely to be excluded from forming regional government by rivals being unwilling to form a coalition with them.

Aside from Thuringia, the AfD also finished second in nearby Saxony.

In the eastern state, it polled closely behind the CDU - which has governed in Saxony since reunification over 30 years ago.

The strength of the new Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, or BSW, which was seen taking up to 16% of the vote in Thuringia and 12% in Saxony, adds another level of complication.

"This is a historic success for us," Alice Weidel, a national co-leader of AfD, told ARD.

She described the result as a "requiem" for Mr Scholz's coalition.

The CDU's national general secretary, Carsten Linnemann, said his party will stick to its longstanding refusal to work with AfD.

Ms Weidel denounced that as "pure ignorance" and said that "voters want AfD to participate in a a government".

Deep discontent with a national government notorious for infighting, anti-immigration sentiment and scepticism toward German military aid for Ukraine are among the factors that have contributed to support for populist parties in the region.

AfD is at its strongest in the formerly communist east, and the domestic intelligence agency has the party's branches in both Saxony and Thuringia under official surveillance as "proven right-wing extremist" groups.

Its leader in Thuringia, Bjorn Hocke, has been convicted of knowingly using a Nazi slogan at political events, but is appealing.

Olaf Scholz's centre-left Social Democrats at least appeared set to remain in the two state legislatures, despite some election fears that they would not.

But the environmentalist Greens appeared set to lose their seats in Thuringia.

The two parties were the junior coalition partners in both outgoing state governments.

A third state election follows September 22 in another eastern state, Brandenburg, currently led by Mr Scholz's centre-left Social Democrats.

Germany's next national election is due in a little over a year.