German far right hails 'historic success' in vote

A far-right party became the biggest force in a German state parliament for the first time since the second world war, exit polls showed last night, while a new populist force on the left established a firm foothold in the country's political landscape.

- Deborah Cole

Voters in two closely watched elections in the former communist east made their dissatisfaction with Germany's mainstream political parties clear, putting the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party in the top spot in Thuringia, with between 31.2 and 33.2% of the vote, and second place in Saxony, with 30.6% to 31.4%, according to preliminary results.

Alice Weidel, the AfD's coleader, said: "It is a historic success for us. It is the first time we have become the strongest force in a state election. It is a requiem for this coalition [in Berlin]."

The 11-year-old AfD clinched its first mayoral and district government posts last year but has never joined a state government. The remaining, democratic parties have vowed to maintain a "firewall" of opposition to working with the AfD, keeping it out of power.

The results in Saxony and Thuringia proved disastrous for the three ruling parties in Olaf Scholz's centre left-led federal government, each scoring single-digit percentage shares of the vote in both states one year before Germany holds its next general election.

Although the outcome had been predicted for months, the centrist parties proved unable to reverse the trend and the results sent shockwaves through the political landscape. Turnout in both states was high, at about 74%.

The leftwing but socially conservative Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), named after its firebrand leader, found that its calls for higher taxes on the rich, a tougher line on immigration and asylum and an end to military support for Ukraine struck a deep chord in the east.