Alternative für Deutschland’s success in east German state elections marks a major blow to the government in Berlin. The AfD is set to win almost a third of the vote in Thuringia – putting it nine points ahead of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU). The AfD’s top candidate in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, hailed a ‘historic victory’. Despite the best efforts of the centrist parties, the AfD is not going away.
Scholz’s remarks ignore a simple reality: that the AfD has transcended its status as a mere party of protest.
This result, if confirmed once all votes are counted, would mark the first victory for a far-right party in a state parliament since World War Two. The anti-immigration Alliance of Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) also enjoyed success in Saxony.
In the lead-up to the elections in Saxony and Thuringia, polls indicated that the two parties were on course to do well. In fact, the AfD – which also won 30 per cent of the vote in Saxony – managed to become the strongest party in Thuringia.
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