Sep 1, 2024 - World

German far-right AfD claims "historic" election win in eastern state

Rebecca Falconer

Saxony, Dresden: Tino Chrupalla (l-r), AfD federal chairman and AfD parliamentary group leader, Jörg Urban, chairman of the AfD in Saxony, and Alice Weidel, AfD federal chairman, stand on stage at one of their party's election rallies on Theaterplatz. — Left to right: Tino Chrupalla, AfD federal chair and AfD parliamentary group leader; Jörg Urban, chair of the AfD in Saxony; and Alice Weidel, AfD federal chair during a rally in Dresden, Saxony, on Thursday. Photo: Sebastian Kahnert/picture alliance via Getty Images

Germany's anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is set to become the first far-right party to win a regional election in the country since World War II, exit polls show.

The big picture: AfD's projected win in the Thuringia state and close-second placed polling in the neighboring state of Saxony, both in former Communist east Germany, follows a second-placed finish in the country's European Parliamentary elections, where far-right parties also surged in France and Austria.

The results in these two states are regarded as "barometers" for the 2025 federal election and Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition center-left Social Democrats are projected to remain on single digits in Saxony and Thuringia, per DW.

What they're saying: AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said on X that the projected 33.5% win in Thuringia and 31.5% share in Saxony marked "a huge success" for the party that formed 11 years ago.

Björn Höcke, the AfD's regional leader in Thuringia who's been declared an extremist and fined for using a Nazi slogan during a speech, said his party "achieved a historic result," per Euro News.

Yes, but: All other parties have refused to work with the AfD, so it's unlikely to form a coalition government in either Thuringia or Saxony.

Go deeper: Voters everywhere rage against the incumbents

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German far-right AfD claims "historic" election win in eastern state

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