German far right hails ‘historic’ election victory in east

Germany’s anti-immigration party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), is celebrating a “historic success” after achieving a major victory in the eastern state of Thuringia. The AfD secured nearly a third of the vote, placing nine points ahead of the conservative CDU and well ahead of Germany’s three governing parties.

This result marks the far-right party’s first win in a state parliament election since World War Two, although the AfD has little chance of forming a government in Thuringia, as other parties are unlikely to collaborate with it.

In another significant state election on Sunday, in the neighboring and more populous state of Saxony, the AfD came in a close second. The CDU led with 31.9% of the vote, narrowly ahead of the AfD, which was still far ahead of the Social Democrats, Greens, and liberal FDP, the three parties in the national government.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the results as “bitter” and urged other mainstream parties to form state governments without involving the far right. He stated, “The AfD is damaging Germany. It is weakening the economy, dividing society, and ruining our country’s reputation,” in a statement to Reuters.

Björn Höcke, the AfD’s top candidate in Thuringia and a controversial figure in Germany, celebrated the “historic victory” and expressed great pride. Although he did not win a direct mandate for the state parliament, he secured a seat as the top candidate on his party list.

via BBC