German far-right AfD wins first state election, nears victory in second

Germany's far-right AfD won a landmark first regional vote on Sunday in the former East German state of Thuringia, exit polls showed, in a blow to Chancellor Olaf Scholz ahead of national elections in 2025.

The AfD took between 30.5 and 33.5 percent of the vote in Thuringia, according to exit polls, with the conservative CDU in second place at around 24.5 percent.

The CDU had its nose in front with the AfD a close second in the neighbouring state of Saxony, which also held a regional election on Sunday, the polls showed.

Demonstrations erupted in Erfurt against the AfD after the release of the first exit poll results from the Thuringia state elections.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) have been predicted to win only 6.1 percent, one of their worst-ever election results in this state. Their coalition partners — the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats — were below the 5 percent threshold necessary for entry into the state parliament.

The newly formed left-wing populist party, Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), is expected to get about 16 percent and become the third-largest group in the state parliament.

Crucially, none of the parties are projected to win enough seats to form a parliamentary majority.

The far-right AfD is unlikely to come to power despite its election win, as all other parties ruled out any coalition with the AfD.

The AfD’s co-chairwoman Alice Weidel hailed her party’s performance as a “historical success” and said the voters have punished Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government.

She called on the CDU and other parties to change their stance against the AfD, and engage in talks with them to build the coalition governments in Thuringia and Saxony.

“The voters want to see the AfD in the government. We are representing around 30 percent of voters in both federal states. Without us a stable government is no longer possible,” she told public broadcaster ARD.

Close race in Saxony

In the neighbouring state of Saxony, a neck-and-neck race is underway, with exit polls showing that 30.8 percent voted for the far-right AfD compared to 31.8 percent who voted for the Christian Democrats.

Scholz’s coalition government is braced for heavy losses here as well, amid growing voter discontent with the government’s Ukraine policy, costly energy reforms, and concerns about irregular migration.

The latest projections put the Social Democrats at around 7.5 percent, with the Greens at 5.2 percent, and the Free Democrats below 2 percent.

Sahra Wagenknecht’s left-wing BSW party is expected to win about 12 percent of votes.

Sunday’s vote in the two eastern states was widely seen as a test for Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his coalition government ahead of next year’s federal elections.

Exit polls showed that most voters were concerned about their economic welfare and were demanding stronger measures from authorities to stop irregular migration and address domestic security threats.