![Germany’s Far-Right AfD Claims Historic Victory in Thuringia State Election](https://labs.majirani.com/afriscope/appdelivery/converted-3428828.jpg)
Germany’s anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) is celebrating what it calls a "historic success," as the far-right party is poised for a major victory in the eastern state of Thuringia. According to projections from public broadcaster ARD, the AfD is set to win nearly a third of the vote, outpacing the conservative CDU by nine points and leaving Germany’s three governing parties far behind.
This result marks the AfD's first win in a state parliament since World War Two, although the party has little chance of forming a government in Thuringia. In a significant development, the AfD also came in a close second in Saxony, a more populous neighboring state, where projections show the CDU leading by just one point.
The AfD’s top candidate in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, a highly controversial figure in Germany, hailed the outcome as a "historic victory" and expressed great pride in the party’s achievement. Despite reportedly failing to win a direct mandate for the state parliament, Höcke could still secure a seat as the top candidate on his party list.
Höcke’s party has been designated as right-wing extremist, and he has previously been fined for using a Nazi slogan—a charge he denies. The election’s significance was highlighted by one of Germany’s most prominent Holocaust survivors, Charlotte Knobloch, who noted that the vote took place 85 years after the outbreak of World War Two. She warned that the result could leave Germany “more unstable, colder and poorer, less safe and less worth living in.”
With federal elections only a year away, the AfD is currently polling second nationwide. AfD co-leader Alice Weidel described the Thuringia result as a "requiem" for Germany's governing parties and emphasized that voters in both eastern states clearly want her party in government. However, without the support of other parties, the AfD cannot govern in Thuringia, as the CDU has ruled out any coalition with the far right. This means the conservatives will likely need to seek support from left-wing parties to form a majority.
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