The far-right political party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has become the first party of its kind to win a victory in the country since World War II, exit polls show.
In the former East German state of Thuringia, the AfD won between 30.5% and 33.5% of the vote, while the conservative CDU came second with 24.5% of the vote.
Thuringia, a rural region and the only state currently led by the far-left Die Linke party, a successor to East Germany’s ruling Communist Party, was one of two states holding regional elections today ahead of national elections in 2025. The AfD nearly won in neighboring Saxony, a conservative stronghold that is the largest in the former East Germany. the polls showed.
While the party is unlikely to come to power in either state, as other parties have pledged to work together to oust the far-right, the result is a reflection of the party’s growing popularity.
Bjoern Hoecke, the controversial leader of the AfD in Thuringia, told the ARD announcer that his party was the “people’s party of Thuringia.”
“We need change and change will only come with the AfD,” he said, praising the “historic result”.
Bjorn Hocke (pictured), a member of Alternative for Germany (AfD), looks on after the first exit polls in the state elections in Thuringia
A protester carries a sticker against the Alternative for Germany (AfD) during a demonstration after the first exit polls in the Thuringia state elections in Erfurt, Germany
The far-right political party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is the first of its kind to win a victory in the country since World War II (File photo)
Hoecke is one of Germany’s most controversial far-right politicians and was fined twice this year for deliberately using a banned Nazi slogan.
Alice Weidel, one of the AfD’s leaders, called the result a “historic success,” while the party’s other leader, Tino Chrupalla, said the party has a “clear mandate for government” in Thuringia.
Chrupalla said both states had sent the message that “a change in politics was needed” and that the AfD was “ready and willing to talk to all parties”.
The matches in Thuringia and Saxony come just over a week after three people were killed in a suspected Muslim knife attack in the western city of Solingen, sparking a heated debate over immigration in Germany.
The alleged attacker, a 26-year-old Syrian man believed to have ties to the Islamic State, was set to be deported but has evaded attempts by authorities to deport him.
The government has responded to the alarm by announcing stricter checks on knives and rules for illegal migrants in Germany.
Tonight’s exit polls also showed a good night for BSW, a new party founded by ambitious politician Sahra Wagenknecht after she left the far-left party Die Linke.
Bjorn Hocke, member of Alternative for Germany (AfD), climbs the stairs after the first exit polls in the state elections in Thuringia
Activists hold banners during a protest against the far-right party AfD (Alternative for Germany) and its top candidate for the regional elections in Thuringia
According to polls, BSW scored between 14.5 and 16 percent in Thuringia and between 11.5 and 12 percent in Saxony.
Wagenknecht’s party has appealed to voters in eastern Germany with a dovish attitude towards Russia and is calling for a radical approach to immigration.
The party achieved immediate success in the European elections in June, winning about six percent of the German vote.
The refusal of other parties to cooperate with the AfD could lead to BSW becoming the power broker in Thuringia and Saxony, despite serious disagreements over the policies of potential partners, especially on Ukraine.
Scholz’s coalition partners, the Greens and the FDP, had a bad evening in both states and scored even lower than the SPD.
A third former East German state, Brandenburg, is also due to hold elections later in September, with polls showing the AfD leading by around 24 percent.
The AfD was founded in 2013 as an anti-euro group, but then transformed into an anti-immigration party. The party benefited from the divided three-party coalition in Berlin and rose in the opinion polls.
In the European parliamentary elections in June, the party won a record 15.9 percent of the vote. The party was the largest party, especially in East Germany, where it became the largest party.
