UPDATE 2 - German far-right AfD wins a state election for 1st time

UPDATES WITH LATEST PROJECTIONS BY PUBLIC BROADCASTER ARD; REVISES DECK; ADDS COMMENTS FROM AFD’S CO-LEADER

By Anadolu staff

BERLIN (AA) - Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is on track to win a state election for the first time on Sunday, according to projections by public broadcaster ARD.

The anti-immigrant AfD party is seen winning 32.8% of the vote in the eastern state of Thuringia, about 10% ahead of the center-right Christian Democrats (CDU).

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

The newly formed left-wing populist party, Bundnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), is expected to get about 16% 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% 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 neighboring state of Saxony, a neck-and-neck race is underway, with exit polls showing that 30.8% voted for the far-right AfD compared to 31.8% who voted for the Christian Democrats.

Scholz’s left-liberal 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%, with the Greens at 5.2%, and the Free Democrats below 2%.

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

Sunday’s vote in the two eastern states was widely seen as a test for Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his left-liberal 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.