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The far-right Alternative for Germany party is set to win its first state election on Sunday, a victory in Thuringia that would put it in line with coming second to mainstream conservatives in state elections. According to predictions based on early results, in Saxony:
A new far-left party, the Zahra Wagenknecht Union (BSW), came third in both state elections.
According to media reports, neither of the extreme parties is likely to win enough votes to run the state government without negotiating a coalition with other parties.
In the German capital, Berlin, elections in two former East German states are being scrutinized as a sign of the growing popularity of extremist parties on both sides of the political spectrum, whose rise coincides with the weakening of centrist parties in the national coalition.
Other parties have said they will not work with the AfD, calling it a danger to democracy. The political battle could favour the Christian Democratic Union in running both states.
Early results show the AfD coming in first in Thuringia with 31.2% and a close second in Saxony with 30.4%. The largest national opposition party, the Christian Democratic Union, came in first in Saxony with about 31.6% and second in Thuringia with 24.5%. The BSW came in third with 15.7% in Thuringia and 12% in Saxony.
Parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s embattled federal government fared poorly. His Social Democrats were expected to reach the 5% threshold needed to win seats in both states, with 6.8% in Thuringia and 8.2% in Saxony. The Greens were expected to just about reach the threshold in Saxony, but not quite in Thuringia. The Free Democrats received less than 1.5% support in both states.
The Left Party, a left-wing party that succeeded the former Communist Party, received around 12.4% of the support in Thuringia, where current leader Bodo Ramelow serves as prime minister, but just 4% in Saxony.
