The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has secured a significant victory in the eastern state of Thuringia, marking the first time a far-right party has won a state election in post-World War II Germany.
In the Sunday regional elections, the AfD secured 32.8% of the vote, more than the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), a center-right party, which received 23.6%. The AfD is unlikely to rule even with this victory because other parties have promised not to work with them to form a majority.
Thuringia’s AfD leader, Björn Höcke, said his party is “ready to take on the responsibilities of governing.” But there has been a lot of controversy surrounding his extreme rhetoric, especially when it comes to criticizing immigrants and Islam. Due to Höcke’s use of provocative language and affiliation with Nazi slogans, working with other parties has become all but impossible.
Together with Thuringia, the AfD also made significant gains in Saxony, a neighboring state. There, the CDU barely held onto its lead with 31.9% of the vote, while the AfD received about 30.7%. These findings highlight the AfD’s rising popularity in eastern Germany, a region marked by strong anti-immigration sentiments and economic frustrations.
The election outcomes have heightened tensions within Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government, which performed poorly in these elections.
The victory in Thuringia was hailed as a “historic success” and a “requiem” for Scholz’s coalition by Alice Weidel, the AfD’s national co-leader. But even with a third of the legislature seats in Thuringia, the AfD’s route to real power is still obstructed by other parties’ reluctance to cooperate.
With input from Aljazeera, the Guardian and ABC News.
