Its candidate lost against his conservative rival in a district administrative election, the importance of which far went beyond the local area.
In a tight second-round runoff in the district of Saale-Orla in the southeastern state of Thuringia, the AfD candidate, Uwe Thrum, had victory snatched from him by his Christian Democrat (CDU) rival, Christian Herrgott, by 4.6 percentage points.
The result of the vote, in which about 66,000 people were eligible to cast their ballot, resonates far beyond the local area. It was seen as a gauge as to whether mobilisation by civil society against the anti-immigrant AfD since the recent revelations about the deportation plan had dented or bolstered the party's popularity.
Thrum secured 47.7% of the vote, against Herrgott's 52.3%. Two weeks ago, Thrum gained 45.7% of the vote to Herrgott's 33%, with the CDU man thought to have little chance of being able to catch up.
A cross-party mobilisation of voters in the past fortnight, in an attempt to keep the AfD out of power, resulted in a higher turnout of 69%, enabling Herrgott, who has local roots, to make the necessary gains to defeat his rival.
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin January 29, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin January 29, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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